Ethyl Acetate Fraction of Harpagophytum procumbens Prevents Oxidative Stress In Vitro and Amphetamine-Induced Alterations in Mice Behavior.

Microglial activation has been associated to the physiopathology of neurodegenerative diseases, such as schizophrenia, and can occur during inflammation and oxidative stress. Pharmacological treatment is associated with severe side effects, and studies for use of plant extracts may offer alternatives with lower toxicity. Harpagophytum procumbens (HP) is a plant known for its anti-inflammatory properties. In the present study, we characterized the ethyl acetate fraction of HP (EAF HP) by ESI-ToF-MS and investigated the effects EAF HP in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced inflammation model on microglial cells (BV-2 lineage). MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide), DCFH-DA (2',7'-dichlorofluorescein diacetate) and cell cycle flow cytometer analysis were performed. In vivo was investigated the amphetamine-induced psychosis model through behavioral (locomotor and exploratory activities, stereotypies and working memory) and biochemical (DCFH-DA oxidation and protein thiols) parameters in cortex and striatum of mice. EAF HP reduced activation and proliferation of microglial cells in 48 h (300 µg/mL) and in 72 h after treatments (50-500 µg/mL). Reactive oxygen species levels were lower at the concentration of 100 µg/mL EAF HP. We detected a modulatory effect on the cell cycle, with reduction of cells in S and G2/M phases. In mice, the pre-treatment with EAF HP, for 7 days, protected against positive and cognitive symptoms, as well as stereotypies induced by amphetamine. No oxidative stress was observed in this amphetamine-induced model of psychosis. Such findings suggest that EAF HP can modulate the dopaminergic neurotransmission and be a promising adjuvant in the treatment of locomotor alterations, cognitive deficits, and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Reversal of haloperidol-induced orofacial dyskinesia and neuroinflammation by isoflavones.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a mental illness and its pharmacological treatment consists in the administration of antipsychotics like haloperidol. However, haloperidol often causes extrapyramidal motor disorders such as tardive dyskinesia (TD). So far, there is no effective treatment against TD and alternatives for it have been sought. Isoflafones have been studied as neuroprotector and inhibitor of monoamine oxidase enzyme. Thus, the objective is to evaluate the possible protective effect of isoflavones against the induction of involuntary movements induced by haloperidol in an animal model. METHODS AND RESULTS: Male Wistar rats were treated with haloperidol (1 mg/kg/day) and/or isoflavones (80 mg/kg) for 28 days. Rats were submitted to behavioral evaluation to quantify vacuous chewing movements (VCM) and locomotor activity. In addition, the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were measured in the striatum. Haloperidol treatment reduced the locomotor activity and increased the number of VCM in rats. Co-treatment with isoflavones was able to reverse hypolocomotion and reduce the number of VCM. Besides, haloperidol caused significant increase in the proinflammatory cytokines (interleukin-1ß:IL-1ß, tumor necrosis factor-α: TNF-α and IL-6 and the co-treatment with isoflavones was able to reduce the levels of IL-1ß and TNF-α, but not IL-6. CONCLUSIONS: It is believed that the beneficial effect found with this alternative treatment is related to its anti-inflammatory potential and to the action on estrogen receptors (based on scientific literature findings). Finally, further studies are needed to elucidate the mechanisms of isoflavones in reducing motor disorders induced by antipsychotics.

Characterization of vegetable fiber and its use in chicken burger formulation.

ABSTRACT: Vegetable fibers have been used lately as ingredients in popular meat products in order to increase its nutritional value. The objective of this study was the physical-chemical characterization of six vegetable fibers in order to apply them in chicken burger formulations as animal fat substitutes. The studied fibers showed moisture content below 14 %, low content of fat, protein and ash, and high levels of carbohydrates. The oat, wheat and bamboo fibers showed the highest content of total dietary fiber. All fibers presented good results of technological characterization, but bamboo, pea and wheat fibers showed the best hygroscopic property results, good emulsifying stability, and color compatible for application in meat products. The use of vegetable fibers in chicken burgers resulted in lower or equal hardness values when the experiments were compared to the control sample. Most samples showed elasticity, adhesiveness, cohesiveness and chewiness values significantly equal to the control sample. The sensory analysis results indicated that all samples had good acceptability. The use of vegetable fibers in chicken burgers proved to be a promising alternative for food manufacturers to combine products deemed unhealthy with functional ingredients that are more appealing for consumers.

Pink shrimp (P. brasiliensis and P. paulensis) residue: influence of extraction method on carotenoid concentration.

The main residue from the shrimp processing is formed by head and carapace and represents from 40 to 50% (w/w) of the integral shrimp. The recovery of the carotenoid fraction from this residue stands for an alternative to increase its aggregated value. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use the pink shrimp waste as raw material to obtain carotenoid enriched extracts, evaluating different pre-treatments and extraction methods. The shrimp waste was supplied by a local public market (Florianópolis, SC, Brazil). The investigation of the different pre-treatments applied to the raw material shows that cooking associated with milling and drying produced the extract richest in carotenoid fraction. The extraction methods considered in this work were Soxhlet, maceration and ultrasound by means of different organic solvents and also a vegetable oil as solvent. The extracts were evaluated in terms of yield, carotenoid profile, total carotenoid content (TCC), UV-Visible scanning spectrophotometry and mid-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The results indicate that shrimp waste can provide carotenoid enriched extracts, particularly astaxanthin, in concentrations up to 252 µg(astaxanthin)g(extract)(-1). The most adequate solvents were acetone and hexane: isopropanol (50:50, v/v) used in the maceration procedure. The UV-Vis results revealed the presence of carotenoids and flavonoids in the extracts while the FTIR spectroscopy indicated the existence of fatty acids, proteins, and phenolics.

Supercritical fluid extraction of peach (Prunus persica) almond oil: process yield and extract composition.

Peach kernels are industrial residues from the peach processing, contain oil with important therapeutic properties and attractive nutritional aspects because of the high concentration of oleic and linoleic acids. The extraction method used to obtain natural compounds from raw matter is critical for product quality definition. Thus, the aim of this work was to compare peach almond extraction yields obtained by different procedures: soxhlet extractions (Sox) with different solvents; hydrodistillation (HD); ethanolic maceration (Mac) followed by fractionation with various solvents, and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) at 30, 40 and 50 degrees C and at 100, 200 and 300bar, performed with pure CO(2) and with a co-solvent. The extracts were evaluated with respect to fatty acid composition (FAC), fractionated chemical profile (FCP) and total phenolic content (TPC). The Sox total yields were generally higher than those obtained by SFE. The crossover pressure for SFE was between 260 and 280bar. The FAC results show oleic and linoleic acids as main components, especially for Sox and SFE extracts. The FCP for samples obtained by Sox and Mac indicated the presence of benzaldehyde and benzyl alcohol, components responsible for almond flavor and with important industrial uses, whereas the SFE extracts present a high content of a possible flavonoid. The higher TPC values were obtained by Sox and Mac with ethanol. In general, the maximum pressure in SFE produced the highest yield, TPC and oleic acid content. The use of ethanol at 5% as co-solvent in SFE did not result in a significant effect on any evaluated parameter. The production of peach almond oil through all techniques is substantially adequate and SFE presented advantages, with respect to the quality of the extracts due to the high oleic acid content, as presented by some Sox samples.