Total Phenolic Content and Antioxidant Activity of Different Types of Chocolate, Milk, Semisweet, Dark, and Soy, in Cerebral Cortex, Hippocampus, and Cerebellum of Wistar Rats

Chocolate is a product consumed worldwide and it stands out for presenting an important amount of phenolic compounds. In this study, the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum of male Wistar rats when consuming different types of chocolate, including milk, semisweet, dark, and soy, was evaluated. The total polyphenols concentration and antioxidant activity in vitro by the method of DPPH radical-scavenging test were evaluated in chocolate samples. Lipid peroxidation (TBARS), protein oxidation (carbonyl), sulfhydryl groups, and activity of SOD enzyme in cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum of rats treated or not with hydrogen peroxide and/or chocolate were also evaluated. The dark chocolate demonstrated higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity, followed by semisweet, soy, and milk chocolates. The addition of chocolate in the diet of the rats reduced lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation caused by hydrogen peroxide. In the sulfhydryl assay, we observed that the levels of nonenzymatic defenses only increased with the chocolate treatments The SOD enzyme activity was modulated in the tissues treated with the chocolates. We observed in the samples of chocolate a significant polyphenol content and an important antioxidant activity; however, additional studies with different chocolates and other tissues are necessary to further such findings

Oxidative stress parameters of Gaucher disease type I patients

Enzymatic deficiency in Gaucher disease (GD) patients may induce a cascade of events, culminating in secondary effects such as the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Detoxification through biological systems which remove or repair the damage may cause the production of peroxides and free radicals that damage all cell components, including proteins, lipids and ADN. The study's aim was the test, using the analysis of plasma samples' the use of lipid peroxidation by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein damage by carbonyl assay, non-enzymatic antioxidant defenses by sulfhydryl (SH) content, antioxidant enzymatic defenses by catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), from patients with GD type I patients who received no prior treatment. Blood samples were collected from 10 patients previously diagnosed with GD type I and from 11 healthy subjects. Chitotriosidase (CT) activity was measured in plasma and the activity of β-glucosidase (GBA) was measured in leukocytes. The results showed a significant increased (p < 0.005) in GD samples when compared to healthy controls in CAT, SOD and SH, but there was no change in TBARS and carbonyl in the comparison between the two groups. In conclusion, the present data indicates the increased levels of enzymatic and non-enzymatic defenses without any effect on lipid peroxidation and damage to proteins. We believe that the results of this study are relevant to understanding the cellular changes involved in this important LSDs

Chronic consumption of purple grape juice in gestational-lactation and post lactation promotes anxiolity effect and antioxidant defense improvement in brain from Wistar male offsprings

Our objective was to evaluate the effect of purple grape juice Vitis labrusca L consumption during pregnancy-lactation and/or post-lactation on the brain-behavior and oxidative stress parameters of male offspring. We used 48 male offspring from 14 Wistar rats. They were fed grape juice or water by gavage daily for 42 days (gestation and lactation). Afterwards, the offspring were divided into groups, water or juice, fed daily by gavage (7 μL/g) for 30 days post-lactation. After the treatment, the behavioral tests were performed. We analyzed the body weight (g) gain during the post-lactation treatment. Subsequently, they were euthanized and cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum were removed for analysis. About the body weight gain we didn't observed any differences between the groups. In the open field test, the grape juice consumption (pregnancy and in post-lactation period) increased grooming and latency and led to a decrease in the number of fecal bolus. However, grape juice consumption during pregnancy or on post-lactation period promoted a reduction on protein oxidation in the cerebellum and cortex, and increased non-enzymatic defense in all tissues. Juice consumption during pregnancy promoted an increase in SOD activity in the cortex and hippocampus. CAT activity was modulated by the consumption of juice during pregnancy, in cortex the activity decreased and in the hippocampus it increased. Grape juice consumption during pregnancy may promote health benefits of offspring, such as reducing damage to proteins, increasing non-enzymatic antioxidant defenses and modulating the activity of enzymes SOD and CAT also promoting an anxiolytic effect in the offspring. Keywords: Antioxidant, Vitis labrusca L., Phenolic compounds, Pregnancy, Central nervous syste