Effect of costus pictus D don methanolic leaf extract on induced prediabetic behavioral change in albino wistar rats

Background: Prediabetes is a hyperglycemic intermediate state with glycemic parameters above normal values but below the threshold of diagnosis of diabetes. While the diagnostic criteria for prediabetes differ between international professional organizations, it is still a high-risk state for getting diabetes, with an annual conversion rate of 5%–10%. Plants and plant-derived products have been the first treatment choice in ancient India. Of late, they have regained a preference for allopathic medicine. Prediabetes, if identified early and treated, the intermittent hyperglycemia, as well as its complications, can be prevented or reverted. Costus pictus D Don would serve this purpose. Materials and Methods: The present study was aimed to study the effect of methanolic leaf extract of Costus pictus D Don on glycemic status and cognitive behavior in induced prediabetic status. Prediabetic status was induced by 35% sucrose solution. Glycemic status was assessed by the Oral glucose tolerance test, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, and QUantitative Insulin sensitivity Check Index. Cognitive and anxiety-like behavior was assessed by elevated T maze and open arena maze. After the termination of the study, all the animals were sacrificed and their brain was sectioned and stained with H and E strain to check for any associated change in the hippocampal region to correlate with the observed behavioral change. Results: Methanolic leaf extract of Costus pictus D Don had a significant effect on normalizing glycemic status in prediabetic rats. Meanwhile, they did not cause hypoglycemia when given to normal rats. Methanolic leaf extract of Costus pictus D Don reduces blood glucose level and insulin level in both doses of 100 mg and 200 mg/kg BW. The extract exhibited an anxiolytic effect and improved cognition in prediabetic rats. When compared to control rats, the prediabetic rats exhibited slow learning. This was evident with an increase in transfer latency. Delta percentage was minimum in prediabetic animals indicating poor learning ability associated with prediabetes. The extract at the dose of 200 mg/Kg BW was found to revert this adverse effect back to near normal. Conclusion: Leaves of Costus pictus D Don can be a better choice for normalizing the hyperglycemic status and improving prediabetic induced mental disturbances such as anxiety and cognitive dysfunction.