Avaliação comportamental de ratas wistar tratadas com o extrato do cajueiro roxo (anacardium occidentale linn.) durante o período de gestação e lactação.

Abstract

Even with increasing use and the absence of studies that prove the effectiveness of medicinal plants, the population in general uses these plants only with empirical knowledge. The use of medicinal plants among the female public has been growing in recent years, mainly during the gestational period, in order to alleviate the symptoms arising from the pregnancy itself, which include nausea, vomiting, heartburn and intestinal constipation, among others. Anacardium occidentale (Anacardiaceae) is a tree species used in several tropical countries to treat various diseases, including bacterial infections, inflammation, ulcers and burns. Despite the enormous pharmacological potential, scientific information is scarce regarding the safety of use and the maternal effects of its exposure during periods of pregnancy and lactation. Therefore, the aim of this study was the behavioral assessment of Wistar rats treated with A. ocidentale extract during the period of pregnancy and lactation. Primiparous female rats of the wistar lineage, aged between 90 and 120 days, and weighing 200 ± 50g, from the Experimental Nutrition Laboratory (LANEX) of the Education and Health Center (CES), UFCG, campus Cuité / Paraíba. The rats were mated for 24 hours, with one female for each male, for seven days. After confirmation of pregnancy, the pregnant rats were housed in individual maternity cages, randomly divided into two groups: CONTROL group (n = 9) that received distilled water by gavage; and EXTRACT group (n = 9), which received a dose of 100mg / kg / day of the hydroalcoholic extract of Anacardium occidentale, by gavage from the first day of pregnancy until the end of lactation. The following behavioral tests were performed for anxiety analysis: Open Field, Elevated Cross Maze and Light / Dark Box. The results of this study indicate, for the first time, that the administration of the hydroalcoholic extract of the leaf of the purple cashew tree (A. occidentale), during the gestation and lactation periods, at the dose of 100 mg / kg / day, affected the animals' behavior , demonstrating an anxiogenic effect, suggesting a toxic effect after exposure to the extract, during the period of pregnancy and lactation. However, additional studies should be carried out, in order to better understand the impact of the extract and phytochemicals of this species on the maternal organism.