Semaglutide reduces weight gain and improves memory deficit in the rat

Newsletter # 102



Animal models


The World Health Organization published alarming projections of obesity and diabetes prevalence by 20301,2. Obesity and diabetes are metabolic conditions that adversely affect the brain's health through increases in inflammation and impairments in metabolism. Indeed, obesity and diabetes are significant risk factors for developing dementia illness (reviewed in 3).
Semaglutide is a Glucagon-like peptide-1 (feel-full hormone). In the market, Semaglutide is sold under two different brand names - approved as Ozempic for diabetes and as Wegovy for obesity. A clinical trial (EVOKE and EVOKE+) is planned to investigate the impact of oral Semaglutide (Rybelsus) on different cognitive domains of subjects with early Alzheimer's disease 4.
A preclinical study experiment undertaken by Neurofit in the rat model of Alzheimer's disease (i.c.v. amyloid-beta (Aβ)-induced memory deficit) demonstrates that the Semaglutide treatment significantly reduced weight gain and effectively improved memory as compared to the placebo treatment. This finding supports the therapeutic potential of Semaglutide in amyloid-beta brain pathologies such as Alzheimer's disease.
1 : https://doi.org/10.2337/diacare.27.5.1047
2 : https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2008.102
3 : https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms23169267
4 : https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04777396
  • Reduced body weight in
    Semaglutide-treated rats

    NEUROFIT website

    Left panel :
    The graph shows a reduced weight gain in rats after 2 weeks treatment with Semaglutide (blue column) which is in line with its anti-obesity effect. The "n=number" in brackets indicates the number of rats involved in the experiments.


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  • Enhanced memory performance
    in Aβ-rats following Semaglutide treatment

    NEUROFIT website

    Right panel :
     The graph shows the recall performance of rats in the passive avoidance test. Control rats (black column) still remember the previous aversive experience (electric shock) and avoid entering the dark chamber. i.c.v. Aβ-rats (red column) forget the association between the context and the foot shock (hence shorter step through latency; black vs red column). Treatment of i.c.v. Aβ-rats with Semaglutide enhances the recall of the context shock paired-chamber (hence, increased step through latency; red vs blue column).


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