Protective effects of Forsythiae fructus and Cassiae semen water extract against memory deficits through the gut-microbiome-brain axis in an Alzheimer’s disease model

CONTEXT: Linne (Caesalpinaceae) have been used to treat inflammation in Asia. OBJECTIVE: water extracts (CS) and investigated the mechanisms responsible for the effects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: (non-AD rats; no memory deficit). For eight weeks, all rats freely consumed high-fat diets (43% lard) incorporated with 200 mg/kg body weight assigned aqueous herbal extracts: AD-FF, AD-CS, or without extracts AD-CON (control), non-AD (normal-control). RESULTS: by 181% while the AD-FF, but not the AD-CS, normalised the gut microbiota changes to be similar to the non-AD. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: FF improved memory deficits better than CS in an AD-induced rat model. The potential neuroprotective benefits of FF against AD may be applicable to human AD therapy with additional clinical research.