Background We reported recently that extracts of seeds of Garcinia kola, a plant with established hypoglycemic properties, prevented the loss of inflammation-sensible neuronal populations like Purkinje cells in a rat model of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Here, we assessed G. kola extract ability to prevent the early cognitive and motor dysfunctions observed in this model. Methods Rats made diabetic by single injection of streptozotocin were treated daily with either vehicle solution (diabetic control group), insulin, or G. kola extract from the first to the 6th week post-injection. Then, cognitive and motor functions were assessed using holeboard and vertical pole behavioral tests, and animals were sacrificed. Brains were dissected out, cut, and processed for Nissl staining and immunohistochemistry. Results Hyperglycemia (209.26 %), body weight loss (-12.37 %), and T1DM-like cognitive and motor dysfunctions revealed behavioral tests in diabetic control animals were not observed in insulin and extract-treated animals. Similar, expressions of inflammation markers tumor necrosis factor (TNF), iba1 (CD68), and Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), as well as decreases of neuronal density in regions involved in cognitive and motor functions (-49.56 % motor cortex, -33.24 % medial septal nucleus, -41.8 % /-37.34 % cerebellar Purkinje /granular cell layers) were observed in diabetic controls but not in animals treated with insulin or G. kola. Conclusions Our results indicate that T1DM-like functional alterations are mediated, at least partly, by neuroinflammation and neuronal loss in this model. The prevention of the development of such alterations by early treatment with G. kola confirms the neuroprotective properties of the plant and warrant further mechanistic studies, considering the potential for human disease.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the behavioral signs of diabetic rats after treatment by Artemisia herba-alba (AHA) and insulin. Method: Based on the induction of diabetes in wistar rats by intraperitoneal (I/P) injection of 60 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ), then treated by AHA as 20 mg (I/P) and insulin subcutaneously (S/C). The samples of rats were: 1) Diabetic control, 2) Injected with insulin, 3) Injected with AHA, 4) Non diabetic rats, which were fostered for 21 day; then weighted and the behavioral tests were conducted. Results: The board hole tests (BHT) showed that: the induced diabetes reduced the cognition of the rats in view of Latency of the First Head Dipping (LFHD) in seconds, number of head dipping (NHD) and duration of head dipping (DHD) by 49.3%, while it's improved in AHA and insulin treated rats by 52% and 69% in average respectively. The exploratory activity reduced in diabetic rats by 36%, while AHA and Insulin treated rats increased by 53% and 72% respectively. The rearing test showed an increase of anxiety among diabetic in form of duration of rearing, number of rearing and time spend in center by 51.7% in average respectively, while the anxiety reduced after treatment by AHA and insulin by 39% and 47.3% in average respectively. Also the diabetes increased the depression state by 106%, while the treatment by AHA and insulin reduced the depression state by 77% and 88% respectively. And VPT showed that: motor impairment occurred in diabetic cases and improved after AHA and insulin treatment.

Article HistoryThyroid function has been evaluated using Radioimmunoassay (RIA) and enzyme-linked-immuno-sorbent-assay (ELISA) techniques as a comparative study to determine the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity in addition to correlation with body mass index (BMI). For triiodothyronine (T3) measured by RIA, relatively ELISA showed sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 93.8%, 100% and 99.1% respectively and for thyroxin (T4), ELISA showed sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 79.3%, 89.4% and 86.8% respectively. And for thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) ELISA showed a sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 72.4%, 90.6% and 86% respectively and relative to RIA technique which is considered as standard goal. And for compensating the ELISA results to be same as RIA the following coefficient 0.72, 6.8 and 0.23 for T3, T4 and TSH respectively could be used. Also there is inverse linear relationship between the BMI and T3 and T4 using ELISA whereas the amount of T3 and T4 decreases by 0.006 nmol/kg/m2 and 0.051nmol/kg/m2 respectively. But TSH shows a direct linear relationship with BMI where TSH slightly increased by 0.007nmol/kg/m 2 .