Mate Tea Prevents Oxidative Stress in the Blood and Hippocampus of Rats with Acute or Chronic Ethanol Administration

Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of acute and chronic intake of mate tea on the effects elicited by acute and chronic administration of ethanol. Methods. Oxidative stress was evaluated by measuring thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), as well as the activities of the antioxidant enzymes, catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the hippocampus and blood of rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to four groups, for both acute and chronic treatment: (1) control group, (2) treated group, (3) intoxicated group, (4) and intoxicated group treated with mate tea. Results. Both ethanol administrations significantly increased TBARS in plasma and hippocampus of rats and altered antioxidant enzyme activities, changes which were reverted by mate tea administration. Conclusions. Data indicate that acute and chronic ethanol administration induced oxidative stress in hippocampus and blood and that mate tea treatment was able to prevent this situation

Simvastatin treatment reduces the cholesterol content of membrane/lipid rafts, implicating the N -methyl-D-aspartate receptor in anxiety: a literature review

Membrane/lipid rafts (MLRs) are plasmalemmal microdomains that are essential for neuronal signaling and synaptic development/stabilization. Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A reductase (statins) can disable the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor through disruption of MLRs and, in turn, decrease NMDA-mediated anxiety. This hypothesis will contribute to understanding the critical roles of simvastatin in treating anxiety via the NMDA receptor

Efeitos da música clássica como elemento de enriquecimento ambiental em Mus musculus em cativeiro (Rodentia: Muridae)

No ambiente selvagem, os animais são submetidos a mudanças constantes nos estímulos sensoriais. Entretanto, o ambiente de cativeiro é muito mais pobre em termos de estímulos fornecidos aos animais alojados no seu interior. Numa tentativa de remediar esta situação e promover um melhor bem estar, camundongos (Mus musculus) foram expostos a duas condições: sem estímulos auditivos e com música clássica. Em todos os experimentos foi utilizada uma bateria de testes comportamentais. Os resultados demonstram uma diminuição significativa na imobilidade no nado forçado, aumento de entradas nos braços fechados do labirinto em cruz elevado e diminuição na imobilidade no campo aberto, nos animais que haviam sido pré-expostos anteriormente a 24h de música e sugerem que a música clássica causas mudanças na atividade motora em camundongos. Este estudo leva a conclusão que o enriquecimento do ambiente causa profundos efeitos sobre o comportamento de camundongos nos testes comportamentais e a música clássica é um método relativamente simples de contribuir para o bem estar de camundongos em cativeiro, mas pode comprometer resultados de experimentos como o nado forçado

Guanidinoacetate alters antioxidant defenses and butyrylcholinesterase activity in the blood of rats

Deficiency of guanidinoacetate methyltransferase, the first described creatine biosynthesis defect, leads to depletion of creatine and phosphocreatine, and accumulation of guanidinoacetate (GAA) in brain and body fluids. The present study aimed to investigate the influence of GAA on the activities of antioxidant enzymes, as well as on thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity in the blood of rats. Results showed that GAA enhanced the activities of catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the erythrocytes and BuChE activity. In addition, GAA enhanced TBARS levels in the plasma. Trolox (6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid), GSH (glutathione) and L-NAME (NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) addition prevented the majority of alterations in oxidative stress parameters and the increase of BuChE activity that were caused by GAA. Data suggest that GAA alters antioxidant defenses and induces lipid peroxidation in the blood, as well altering BuChE activity. However, in the presence of trolox, GSH and L-NAME some of these alterations in oxidative stress and BuChE activity were prevented. Our findings lend support to a potential therapeutic strategy for this condition, which may include the use of appropriate antioxidants for ameliorating the damage caused by GAA

The effects of swimming exercise on recognition memory for objects and conditioned fear in rats = Os efeitos do exercício de natação sobre a memória para reconhecimento de objetos e de medo condicionados em ratos

Experiments conducted in animals have repeatedly demonstrated the ability of exercise to enhance cognitive function. This study examines the effects of chronic swimming exercise on non-spatial memory in adult rats after 12 weeks of swimming exercise in object recognition and elevated T-maze tests. In the object recognition test, repeated measures analysis of variance revealed a group effect (F1,42 = 26,093; p < 0.001), control rats had lower discrimination ratios than the exercise group. However, the swimming exercise did not affect the performance of inhibitory avoidance and escapes, when memory was tested in elevated T-maze. Analysis of variance showed a significant reduction in inhibitory avoidance 24h after the first training (F1,42 = 14,552; p < 0.001). Results indicated that regular swimming exercise significantly increased non-spatial memory in object recognition behavior, but did not affect the performance of inhibitory avoidance and escape on elevated T-maze test in adult rats. These findings suggest that the perirhinal cortex plays a role in memory consolidation and storage in addition to that of the amygdala, which could be regarded as the center of a second memory system, separate from those governed by the perirhinal cortex.<br><br>As experiências realizadas em animais mostram a capacidade do exercício em melhorar as funções cognitivas. Este estudo analisa os efeitos do exercício crônico de natação sobre a memória não-espacial em ratos adultos após 12 semanas de exercício de natação nos testes de reconhecimento de objetos e labirinto em T elevado. O teste de reconhecimento de objetos, pelas repetidas análises de variância revelaram um efeito de grupo (F1,42 = 26.093; p < 0,001), os ratos controles discriminaram uma razão inferior ao do grupo de exercício. Entretanto, o exercício de natação não afetou o desempenho de esquiva inibitória e escape, quando a memória foi testada no labirinto em T elevado. Análise de variância mostrou redução significativa na esquiva inibitória 24h após o primeiro treino (F1,42 = 14.552; p < 0,001). Os resultados indicam que o exercício regular de natação aumenta significativamente a memória não-espacial no comportamento de reconhecimento de objetos, mas não afeta o medo condicionado no teste do labirinto em T elevado em ratos adultos. Estes resultados sugerem que o córtex peririnal desempenha papel nos processos de consolidação e armazenamento de memória além da amígdala, podendo esta ser encarada como um segundo centro de sistema de memória, separada dos regidos pelo córtex peririnal

The Power of Classic Music to Reduce Anxiety in Rats Treated with Simvastatin

Introduction: This study was designed to investigate the effects of music in Wistar rats after sub-chronic treatment of simvastatin. The rats were orally administered with either simvastatin or saline (controls). After 4 weeks of drug treatment, the rats were selected for behavioral studies. The rats were exposed to music 24 hours before behavioral tests (Mozart’s piano sonata, KV361, Largo). Results: The experiments suggest that exposure to chronic treatment with simvastatin (1 or 10 mg/kg/day) reduced anxiety levels in rats when associated with Mozart music in an elevated plus-maze. Discussion: These results indicate that music can serve as an effective adjuvant in rats treated with simvastatin, and that this species could potentially be used in other preclinical models utilizing musical interventions

Effects of classical music as part of environmental enrichment in captive Mus musculus (Rodentia: Muridae)

In the wild, animals are exposed to an ever-changing array of sensory stimuli. The captive environment, by contrast, is generally much more impoverished in terms of the cues it offers the animals housed within. In a bid to remedy this, and promote better welfare, mice (Mus musculus) were exposed to two conditions: no auditory stimulation, and stimulation with classical music. In all experiments, a battery of behavior tests was used. The results demonstrated significantly decreased immobility in the forced swim, increased enclosed arm entries in the plus-maze, and decreased immobility in the open-field, in animals that had been pre-exposed to music 24h earlier, suggesting that changes in mouse motor activity were caused by classical music. This study led to the conclusion that environmental enrichment may have profound effects on the behavior of mice in behavioral tests, and that classical music can be a relatively simple method of contributing to the well-being of captive mice, but it can affect the results of experiments such as forced swimming

The Power of Classic Music to Reduce Anxiety in Rats Treated with Simvastatin

Introduction: This study was designed to investigate the effects of music in Wistar rats after sub-chronic treatment of simvastatin. The rats were orally administered with either simvastatin or saline (controls). After 4 weeks of drug treatment, the rats were selected for behavioral studies. The rats were exposed to music 24 hours before behavioral tests (Mozart’s piano sonata, KV361, Largo). Results: The experiments suggest that exposure to chronic treatment with simvastatin (1 or 10 mg/kg/day) reduced anxiety levels in rats when associated with Mozart music in an elevated plus-maze. Discussion: These results indicate that music can serve as an effective adjuvant in rats treated with simvastatin, and that this species could potentially be used in other preclinical models utilizing musical interventions. Methods

Simvastatin treatment reduces the cholesterol content of membrane/lipid rafts, implicating the N -methyl-D-aspartate receptor in anxiety: a literature review

ABSTRACT Membrane/lipid rafts (MLRs) are plasmalemmal microdomains that are essential for neuronal signaling and synaptic development/stabilization. Inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme-A reductase (statins) can disable the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor through disruption of MLRs and, in turn, decrease NMDA-mediated anxiety. This hypothesis will contribute to understanding the critical roles of simvastatin in treating anxiety via the NMDA receptor