Research Article
Tao DG,Dong RR,Wang C,Guang
Abstract
Abstract Telmisartan, an angiotensin II type 1–receptor blocker (ARB), has been reported to exert beneficial effects on the central nervous system (CNS) in streptozotocin (STZ) - induced diabetic mice. However, the effect of telmisartan on cognitive impairment associated with type 2 diabetes is not well known. Here, we investigated the effects of telmisartan on memory impairment in a mouse model with defects in insulin sensitivity and secretion, namely highfat diet (HFD) /STZ-induced diabetic mice. Our data showed that STZ / HFD diabetic mice, characterized by hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia, performed poorly on Morris water maze (MWM) test. Such learning and memory impairment was accompanied by increased β -amyloid peptide 42 (Aβ42), amyloid precursor protein (APP), β-site amyloid precursor protein cleaving enzyme (BACE1), the receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) and nuclear factor -κB (NF-κB) signaling in brain. Treatment with telmisartan significantly improved learning and memory in the diabetic mice and decreased Aβ42, APP, BACE1 RAGE and NF-κB signaling in the brain without affecting hyperglycemia and hypoinsulinemia. It is concluded that telmisartan may be considered as a potential pharmacological agent for the management of cognitive dysfunction in type 2 diabetes.