Vaccinium virgatum fruit extract as an important adjuvant in biochemical and behavioral alterations observed in animal model of metabolic syndrome.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum) fruit extract on metabolic, behavioral and oxidative stress parameters in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of mice submitted to an experimental model of metabolic syndrome induced by a highly palatable diet (HPD). Mice C57BL/6 were divided into 4 experimental groups: (1) received standard chow and saline orally, (2) received standard chow and blueberry hydroalcoholic extract, (3) received HPD and saline orally, (4) received HPD and blueberry hydroalcoholic extract. The animals were treated for 150days. Our results showed that the animals fed with HPD presented insulin resistance, increased body weight, visceral fat, glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol when compared to the control group. The blueberry extract prevented the increase of these metabolic parameters. Also, the extract was able to reduce the levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of animals submitted to HPD. In contrast, no differences were observed in the total thiol content, activity of the antioxidant enzymes catalase and superoxide dismutase. In addition, the HPD fed animals showed a significant increase in immobility time in the forced swimming test and blueberry prevented this alteration, although no changes were observed in the ambulatory behavior, as well as in the anxiolytic profile of these animals. Overall, our findings suggest that chronic consumption of blueberry extract exhibits hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, antidepressant-like and antiperoxidative effects in an animal model of metabolic syndrome.

• Authors: Pathise Souto Oliveira, Marta Gazal, Natália Porto Flores, Aline Rigon Zimmer, Vitor Clasen Chaves, Flávio Henrique Reginatto, Manuella Pinto Kaster, Rejane Giacomelli Tavares, Roselia Maria Spanevello, Claiton Leoneti Lencina, Francieli Moro Stefanello
• Journal: Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie (Biomed Pharmacother) Vol. 88 Pg. 939-947 (Apr 2017) ISSN: 1950-6007 [Electronic] France
• PMID: 28178625 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.

Chemical References

• Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic
• Anthocyanins
• Phytochemicals
• Plant Extracts
• Sulfhydryl Compounds
• Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances
• Catalase
• Superoxide Dismutase

Topics

• Adjuvants, Pharmaceutic (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Animals
• Anthocyanins (analysis)
• Anxiety (complications, drug therapy)
• Behavior, Animal (drug effects)
• Blueberry Plants (chemistry)
• Catalase (metabolism)
• Diet
• Disease Models, Animal
• Fruit (chemistry)
• Glucose Tolerance Test
• Hippocampus (drug effects, pathology, physiopathology)
• Male
• Maze Learning (drug effects)
• Metabolic Syndrome (drug therapy, enzymology, metabolism)
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Oxidative Stress (drug effects)
• Phytochemicals (analysis)
• Plant Extracts (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Sulfhydryl Compounds (metabolism)
• Superoxide Dismutase (metabolism)
• Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (metabolism)