Association between hippocampal angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 expression and cognitive function in diabetes mellitus rats

Objective To explore the expression of angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2) in the hippocampus of diabetic rats and its effect on cognitive function.Methods 20 SD male rats were divided into normal and diabetic model groups randomly.Streptozotocin-diabetic rats model were established,11 weeks later,learning and memory behaviors were measured using a spatial version of the Morris water maze test.The mRNA level of ACE2 was examined by RT-PCR.The protein expression of ACE2 was examined by Western blot.Results Compared to the normal group,learning and memory level of diabetic group were decreased transparently(P0.05),the mRNA and protein levels of ACE2 in hippocampal neuron were decreased(P0.05).Conclusions The decreased expression of ACE2 mRNA and protein in hippocampus of diabetic rat maybe associate with cognitive dysfunction.