Synergistic Effects of Probiotic Strains and Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench (Okra) on Learning and Memory Impairment in Amnestic Rat Models

Abstract

This study investigated the neuroprotective effects of probiotics and okra on learning, memory, and antioxidant activity in a rat model of Aβ<inf>25-35</inf> induced cognitive impairment. Male Sprague Dawley rats divided into 8 groups: Control group, sham group, amyloid beta (Aβ) group, Aβ with low or high doses of probiotics, Aβ with okra, Aβ with okra and low or high doses of probiotics. Rats were orally gavage of probiotics, okra, or their combinations for 6 weeks and injected intracerebroventricularly with Aβ<inf>25-35</inf>to induce Alzheimer’s disease-like symptoms. Rats in the Aβ-treated group showed significant impairments in both spatial and recognition memory, as evidenced by decreased retention time in the Morris’s water maze and reduced recognition index in the novel object recognition tests. These behavioral deficits were accompanied by elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels, and decreased catalase (CAT) activities, indicating increased oxidative stress. Treatment with probiotics, okra, or their combination significantly improved performance in both behavioral tests. Notably, the combined high-dose probiotic and okra group showed the most pronounced improvements. This group also exhibited the greatest reduction in MDA level and SOD activity and the most substantial restoration of CAT activity. These findings suggest that probiotics and okra, particularly in combination, exert the neuroprotective effects against Aβ<inf>25-35</inf>-induced cognitive deficits, potentially through modulation of oxidative stress pathways. This combined therapy may represent a promising dietary intervention for the prevention or management of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease.