Several lines of evidence have shown that the incidence of cognitive impairment in diabetic patients is significantly higher than that in healthy individuals, but the exact pathogenesis has not been fully elucidated. Furthermore, it has been suggested that leptin may have a therapeutic effect in cognitive dysfunction. The aim of the present study was to observe the effect of leptin on cognitive dysfunction in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats, and to explore whether adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation was involved in any potential therapeutic effect of leptin. Compared with control rats, STZ rats exhibited decreased levels of AMPK and a poor performance in the Morris water maze, while these changes were reversed by leptin. Furthermore, Compound C, an AMPK antagonist, significantly attenuated the leptin-induced cognitive function improvement in the STZ rats. In conclusion, these results suggest that AMPK activation may play a critical role in the leptin-induced attenuation of STZ-induced cognitive impairment.
Keywords: adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase; cognitive impairment; diabetes; leptin; streptozotocin.