Research Article Centella asiatica Attenuates Diabetes Induced Hippocampal Changes in Experimental Diabetic Rats Nelli Giribabu, 1 Nelli Srinivasarao, 2 Somesula Swapna Rekha, 3 Sekaran Muniandy, 4 and Naguib Salleh 1 1 Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia 2 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, University Road, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan 3 Department of Zoology, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh 517502, India 4 Department of Molecular Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603 Lembah Pantai, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Correspondence should be addressed to Naguib Salleh; naguib.salleh@yahoo.com.my Received 9 May 2014; Accepted 1 July 2014; Published 5 August 2014 Academic Editor: Pasupuleti Visweswara Rao Copyright © 2014 Nelli Giribabu et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Diabetes mellitus has been reported to afect functions of the hippocampus. We hypothesized that Centella asiatica, a herb traditionally being used to improve memory, prevents diabetes-related hippocampal dysfunction. Terefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the protective role of C. asiatica on the hippocampus in diabetes. Methods. Streptozotocin- (STZ-) induced adult male diabetic rats received 100 and 200 mg/kg/day body weight (b.w) C. asiatica leaf aqueous extract for four consecutive weeks. Following sacrifce, hippocampus was removed and hippocampal tissue homogenates were analyzed for Na + /K + -, Ca 2+ - and Mg 2+ - ATPases activity levels. Levels of the markers of infammation (tumor necrosis factor, TNF-; interleukin, IL-6; and interleukin, IL- 1) and oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation product: LPO, superoxide dismutase: SOD, catalase: CAT, and glutathione peroxidase: GPx) were determined. Te hippocampal sections were visualized for histopathological changes. Results. Administration of C. asiatica leaf aqueous extract to diabetic rats maintained near normal ATPases activity levels and prevents the increase in the levels of infammatory and oxidative stress markers in the hippocampus. Lesser signs of histopathological changes were observed in the hippocampus of C. asiatica leaf aqueous extract treated diabetic rats. Conclusions. C. asiatica leaf protects the hippocampus against diabetes-induced dysfunction which could help to preserve memory in this condition. 1. Introduction Te hippocampus is an area of the brain that is involved in short- [1] and long-term [2] memory. In rats, amnesia can be caused by hippocampal dysfunction [3], whereas, in higher animals including primates, memory loss could occur due to dysfunctions of both hippocampus and amygdala [4]. Te loss of neurons or axonal degeneration secondary to ischemia can result in defcits of the hippocampus-dependent spatial memory [5]. Mild to moderate traumatic brain injury was capable of producing prolonged spatial memory defcit in rats without evidence of neuronal death [3]. Diabetes has been linked to memory impairment in rats [6] and humans [7]. On the other hand, hypoglycemia secondary to insulin overdose can also cause hippocampal injury which could result in anterograde amnesia [8]. Hyperglycemia could induce oxidative stress in the hip- pocampus [9] resulting in apoptosis of hippocampal synapses and neurons [10]. Hippocampal oxidative stress is associated with increased level of lipid peroxidation products [11] and diminution of activity levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes [12]. Diabetes has been found to inhibit activity of hippocampal Na + -K + -ATPase or Na + pump [13]. Diabetes has also been reported to suppress activity of Mg 2+ -ATPase [14] and Ca 2+ -ATPase in rat whole brain [15]. Te efect on Mg 2+ -ATPase and Ca 2+ -ATPase activity in the hippocampus of diabetic rats however remains unknown. Centella asiatica, a herb from Mackinlayoideae family, is native to the wetlands in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia. C. asiatica has been widely used in Ayurvedic, African, and Chinese traditional medicine [16]. Tis herb was found to promote wound healing via stimulating cellular Hindawi Publishing Corporation Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Volume 2014, Article ID 592062, 10 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/592062