Underlying mechanisms behind the neuroprotective effect of vanillic acid against diabetes‐associated cognitive decline: An in vivo study in a rat model

Abstract Hippocampal synaptic dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and neuronal loss play critical roles in the pathophysiology of diabetes‐associated cognitive decline (DACD). The study aimed to investigate the effects of vanillic acid (VA), a phenolic compound, against DACD and explore the potential underlying mechanisms. Following confirmation of diabetes, rats were treated with VA (50 mg/kg/day; P.O.) or insulin (6 IU/rat/day; S.C.) for 8 consecutive weeks. The cognitive performance of the rats was evaluated using passive‐avoidance and water‐maze tasks. Long‐term potentiation (LTP) was induced at hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) synapses in response to high‐frequency stimulation (HFS) applied to the perforant pathway (PP) to evaluate synaptic plasticity. Oxidative stress factors, inflammatory markers, and histological changes were evaluated in the rat hippocampus. This study showed that streptozotocin (STZ)‐induced diabetes caused cognitive decline that was associated with inhibition of LTP induction, suppression of enzymatic antioxidant activities, enhanced lipid peroxidation, elevated levels of inflammatory proteins, and neuronal loss. Interestingly, chronic treatment with VA alleviated blood glucose levels, improved cognitive decline, ameliorated LTP impairment, modulated oxidative‐antioxidative status, inhibited inflammatory response, and prevented neuronal loss in diabetic rats at a level comparable to insulin therapy. The results suggest that the antihyperglycemic, antioxidative, anti‐inflammatory, and neuroplastic properties of VA may be the mechanisms behind its neuroprotective effect against DACD.