ABSTRACT
O hipérico (Hypericum perforatum) é utilizado no tratamento alternativo da depressão, enfermidade que tem atingido mulheres, tanto no pós-parto quanto durante a gestação. Existem poucas informações sobre estudos experimentais quanto à toxicidade reprodutiva do hipérico. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo avaliar seu potencial embriotóxico. Ratas Wistar prenhes foram tratadas com 36 ou 360 mg/kg de extrato seco de Jarsin, por gavagem nos dias 5 e 7 pós-inseminação. Animais do grupo controle receberam 0,5 mL de água destilada pela mesma via e dias. Após eutanásia no 15(0) dia, as seguintes variáveis foram analisadas: peso corporal materno e fetal, consumo de ração, sinais clínicos de toxicidade, peso de ovários e placentas, número de corpos lúteos, de reabsorções, de fetos vivos e de fetos mortos e proporção de implantação e de reabsorção. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas em nenhuma dessas variáveis, levando a concluir que no modelo experimental utilizado, o Hypericum perforatum não parece apresentar toxicidade para a mãe, não interfere na implantação do blastocisto e nem parece ser tóxico para o embrião.
Hypericum perforatum is used as an alternative treatment of depression, which is a disease that has been affecting women during post-partum or gestation. There is little information in experimental studies regarding the reproductive toxicity of hiperic. The present paper aims at assessing Hypericum perforatum's embryotoxic potential. Pregnant Wistar rats were treated with 36 or 360 mg/kg body weight of Jarsin dried extract, via oral gavage on days 5 and 7 post-insemination. Animals from the control group received 0.5 mL of distilled water through the same via and days. The animals were killed on the 15th day and the following variables were analyzed: maternal and fetal body weight, food intake, clinical signs of toxicity, weight of ovaries and placenta, number of corpora lutea, resorptions, live and dead fetuses, and the proportion of implantation and resorption. No significant differences were observed in any of these variables, leading to the conclusion that in the experimental model used, Hypericum perforatum does not seem to be toxic to the mother, does not interfere with blastocyst implantation nor does it seem to be toxic to the embryo.
ABSTRACT
Previous studies have shown that women are more emotionally expressive than men. It is unclear, however, if women are also more susceptible to the emotional modulation of behavior imposed by an affective stimulus. To investigate this issue, we devised a task in which female subjects performed six sequential trials of visual target detection following the presentation of emotional (mutilation and erotic) or neutral pictures (domestic utensils and objects) and compared the data obtained in the present study with those described in a previous study with male subjects. The experiment consisted of three blocks of 24 pictures and each block had an approximate duration of 4 min. Our sample consisted of 36 subjects (age range: 18 to 26 years) and each subject performed all blocks. Trials following the presentation of mutilation pictures (283 ms) had significantly slower reaction times than those following neutral (270 ms) pictures. None of the trials in the "pleasant block" (271 ms) was significantly different from those in the "neutral block". The increase in reaction time observed in the unpleasant block may be related in part to the activation of motivational systems leading to an avoidance behavior. The interference effect observed in this study was similar to the pattern previously described for men. Thus, although women may be more emotionally expressive, they were not more reactive to aversive stimuli than men, as measured by emotional interference in a simple reaction time task.