Alterações comportamentais, neuroquimicas e metabólicas causadas pelo uso agudo e de doses repetidas de Hoodia Gordonii em roedores

Abstract

Hoodia gordonii has become consumed centuries, in order to promote a reduction in appetite, due to reduced food and water intake. Even today it is consumed in many countries. The present study investigated possible behavioral and metabolic alterations in rodents treated with Hoodia gordonii in different treatment periods. To evaluate body weight, the rats was weighted daily during the period of treatment and measured water and food intake. To investigate the behavioral (anxiety and depression) and neurochemical changes, the mice were tested for 1,8 and 15 days of treatment with Hoodia gordonii (25 and 50mg/kg, oral), the experimental models being performed in the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM), Open Field (OP) test and other group mice submitted the Forced Swimming (FN) test. In order, to investigate the involvement with the monoaminergic system, the mice were pretreated with specific dopamine D1 and D2; α1 and α2 of noradrenaline, serotonin 5HT1A, 5HT2A/2C, 5HT3A receptor antagonists in the forced swimming test. In addition, other groups of animals were pretreated with H. gordonii for 1,8 and 15 days and after one hour, the striatum were removed for HPLC analysis of monoamines and hippocampus for the experiments of oxidative stress, such as enzymatic activity quantification of low levels of glutathione, catalase enzime, nitrite/nitrate and malondialdehyde levels. The citotoxicity (MTT) and genotoxicity (DNA) test was conducted in human lymphocytes. The results showed that, the extract reduced the body weight of the animals, as well as, food and water intake. In the behavioral testing, Hoodia gordonii presented anxiogenic effect in the EPM, reduced locomotor activity on day 1, 8 and 15 of treatment and antidepressant-like effect after the first dose administration, with reduced immobility time. It was interacted with noradrenergic, dopaminergic and serotonergic receptors used in this study. The extract promoted an increase in levels of norepinephrine and serotonin in the striatum of mice after 1 day, and increased monoamines dopamine, noradrenaline and serotonin after 15 days. The oxidative stress was not able to alter the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase, reduced glutathione in the hippocampus of mice, reduced the concentration of nitrite in both doses used in the three treatment times. The cellular DNA of human lymphocytes was not changed. H. gordonii did not cause liver and kidney after administration of doses 550 and 2000 mg/kg histopathology changes. Concentrations of 50 at 200µg/mL did not develop citotoxicity and genotoxicity test, was not able to change the cellular DNA of human lymphocytes. It can be concluded that, Hoodia gordonii showed great results in rodents. However, other studies it´s necessary to ensure the safe use of the extract, and it can be approved or not in our country.