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Berberine Ameliorate Oxidative Stress and Astrogliosis in the Hippocampus of STZ-Induced Diabetic Rats

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Abstract

Diabetes mellitus increases the risk of central nervous system (CNS) disorders such as stroke, seizures, dementia, and cognitive impairment. Berberine, a natural isoquinoline alkaloid, is reported to exhibit beneficial effect in various neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Moreover, astrocytes are proving critical for normal CNS function, and alterations in their activity and impaired oxidative stress could contribute to diabetes-related cognitive dysfunction. Metabolic and oxidative insults often cause rapid changes in glial cells. Key indicators of this response are increased synthesis of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) as an astrocytic marker. Therefore, we examined the effects of berberine on glial reactivity of hippocampus in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats, using GFAP immunohistochemistry. Lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, and nitrite levels were assessed as the parameters of oxidative stress. Eight weeks after diabetes induction, we observed increased numbers of GFAP+ astrocytes immunostaining associated with increased lipid peroxidation, decreased superoxide dismutase activity, and elevated nitrite levels in the hippocampus of STZ-diabetic rats. In contrast, chronic treatment with berberine (50 and 100 mg/kg p.o. once daily) lowered hyperglycemia, reduced oxidative stress, and prevented the upregulation of GFAP in the brain of diabetic rats. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the treatment with berberine resulted in an obvious reduction of oxidative stress and GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes in the hippocampus of STZ-induced diabetic rats.

Berberine and Gliosis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Ms. Zahra Amanpour and Dr. Aziz Ronaghi for their kind support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Shahroud University of Medical Sciences, Shahroud, Iran

    Hamid Kalalian Moghaddam, Mehdi Khaksari, Pirasteh Norouzi, Malihea Ahooie & Fatemeh Mahboobi

  2. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Tourandokht Baluchnejadmojarad

  3. Department of Physiology, School of Medicine and Neurophysiology Research Center, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

    Mehrdad Roghani

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  1. Hamid Kalalian Moghaddam
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  2. Tourandokht Baluchnejadmojarad
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Correspondence to Hamid Kalalian Moghaddam.

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Moghaddam, H.K., Baluchnejadmojarad, T., Roghani, M. et al. Berberine Ameliorate Oxidative Stress and Astrogliosis in the Hippocampus of STZ-Induced Diabetic Rats. Mol Neurobiol 49, 820–826 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12035-013-8559-7

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