Cinnamomum cassia Presl flavonoids prevent hyperglycemia-induced cognitive impairment via inhibiting of AGEs accumulation and oxidative stress

Cinnamomum cassia Presl (CCP) has a beneficial impact on diabetes and dementia. In this research, the under-lying mechanism of flavonoids of Cinnamomum cassia Presl (CFS) on diabetes-related cognitive impairment (DRCI) were inferred by a network pharmacology approach. The conjectures of network study were verified through the advanced glycation end products (AGEs) systems in vitro and the long-term diabetic rats. The experimental results showed CFS inhibited AGEs generated from nonenzymatic glycosylation reaction in vitro as well as in the brain of long-term diabetic rats in a dose-dependently manner. In morris water maze study, CFS restored the cognitive ability of diabetic rats. Moreover, the hippocampal morphology damage and oxidative stress were ameliorated by CFS, while the hippocampal level of AGEs, RAGE and pJNK/JNK were decreased significantly. These results indicated CFS may suppress AGEs accumulation via inhibiting glycosylation, and alleviating oxidative stress caused by AGEs, thereby prevents the neuronal injury and ameliorates DRCI.

Automated summary

This research investigated the mechanism of flavonoids from Cinnamomum cassia on diabetes-related cognitive impairment (DRCI) using a network pharmacology approach. The results showed that Cinnamomum cassia flavonoids inhibited the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in vitro and in the brain of diabetic rats, and restored cognitive ability in the rats. Additionally, it alleviated hippocampal damage and oxidative stress, and decreased the levels of AGEs, RAGE, and pJNK/JNK in the hippocampus.