Neuroprotective Effect of Colocasia esculenta Var. Mentawai Corm Flour High-Fat Diet Fed Mice

Abstract

The transformation of our era, resulting in a change in dietary habits towards a higher intake of fatty foods, presents a worldwide health issue. Among these challenges is neurodegeneration, which leads to cognitive impairment. It is imperative to seek alternative solutions rooted in nature to address the limitations associated with non-natural treatment methods. This entails harnessing the properties of secondary metabolite compounds found in plants, such as Colocasia esculenta Var. Mentawai. This research aims to assess the efficacy of C. esculenta Var. Mentawai corm as neuroprotective agents in mitigating CNS damage and preventing cognitive decline associated with neurodegeneration. Daily administration of a high-fat diet and a mixture of taro flour is conducted on young adult male mice for a duration of 60 days. Furthermore, analysis of the neurocognitive ability of mice, determination of malondialdehyde levels, and observation of histopathological structures on brain tissue were carried out. The results showed that the group of mice fed with taro flour mixture effectively showed a positive impact on maintaining neurocognitive abilities and histopathological structure of brain tissue against neurodegeneration (p<0.05). However, there was no significant effect on the suppression of MDA levels in the brain when comparing treatment groups. It has been found that Mentawai taro flour is effective in preserving the brain against neurodegenerative events by preventing nerve degeneration in the hippocampal area and cerebral cortex. Consequently, Mentawai taro flour emerges as a robust candidate for functional food with the potential to address global health issues associated with neurodegeneration.

Keywords

• high fat diet
• neurodegeneration
• obesity
• secondary metabolites
• taro.

Supporting Institution

This research was funded by World Class Research Grant no. 012/E5/PG.02.00.PL/2023 3rd year from the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology.

Ethical Statement

In the current study, there is no study with human and human participants. All procedures involving the animals were approved by the Research Ethic Committee Faculty of Medicine, Andalas University (Approval No. 528/ UN.16.2/ KEP-FK/ 2021).

Thanks

The author would like to express gratitude to the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology for providing financial support through the research grant (World Class Research Grant no. 012/E5/PG.02.00.PL/2023 3rd year). Additionally, the author extends thanks to the Institute for Research and Community Service (LPPM) at Andalas University for their assistance in completing the preparation of this article.

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