Neuroprotective Effects of Ethiopian Coffee Beans against Hyperglycemia-induced Brain Injury in Rats

At least 50% of people with diabetes suffer from one or more complications if their conditions are not adequately managed over time. Diabetic neuropathy is one of the prevalent complications of diabetes, which also includes diabetic nephropathy, retinopathy, cardiomyopathy, and diabetic foot diseases. The present study evaluated the protective effects of Ethiopian coffee beans (Coffea arabica) against glucose-induced brain tissue injury using in vitro, ex vivo, and in silico experimental models. Oxidative injury was induced by incubating brain tissue collected from normal male Sprague-Dawley rats in glucose solution and treated with the different concentrations of Ethiopian coffee bean extracts (hot and cold aqueous) for 2 h at 37°C in a 95% O₂ and 5% CO₂ incubator. Induction of glucose-mediated (0.0111 M glucose) oxidative injury led to significant depletion of reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and total glycogen levels, while elevating malonaldehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO), glycogen phosphorylase, fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase, ATPase, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity levels. Treatment with different concentrations of the aqueous extracts of coffee beans significantly restored the levels and activities of the biomarkers mentioned above. LC-MS analysis indicates the presence of chlorogenic acid (CGA), caffeic acid, quinic acid, caffeine, Cafestol, Kahweol, ferulic acid, and catechol in the coffee extracts. In silico analysis revealed a strong molecular interaction between CGA and the CAT, SOD, and AChE enzymes. The data from this study suggest that bioactive compounds from Coffea arabica have a potential neuroprotective effect against glucose-mediated oxidative neurodegeneration in rat brain tissue.