MOURA, R. L.; MOURA, RENALLY DE LIMA.; http://lattes.cnpq.br/2425612285641381; MOURA, Renally de Lima.
Resumo:
Aging is considered a natural process of life, and the elderly phase is associated with the
development of several diseases, such as chronic, neurodegenerative and
neuropsychiatric diseases. As a result, the elderly population is increasingly becoming
aware of the importance of a balanced diet that promotes health and well-being.
Unconventional food plants are excellent nutritional and functional sources, such as
Opuntia ficus-indica, a plant that has antioxidants in its composition, which act in the
fight against free radicals in the body, reducing oxidative and inflammatory processes,
thus minimizing anxiety. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of palm flour
consumption on anxiety behavior and lipid peroxidation in the brain of elderly rats. For
this, the animals were divided into four groups (n=10). Control group (CG) – treated with
AIN-93M ration, P5% (group treated with AIN-93M ration, with addition of 5% palm
flour); P10% (group treated with the AIN-93M diet, with the addition of 10% palm flour)
and P15% (group treated with the AIN-93M diet, with the addition of 15% palm flour).
The animals received the feed for four weeks, after which they were submitted to
behavioral tests to measure anxiety: open field, elevated plus maze and light-dark box. At
the end of the behavioral tests, the animals were euthanized, the brain was removed for
determination of lipid peroxidation. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA taking into
account the significance level of p<0.05. In relation to the open field, animals P5%, P10%
and P15% performed a greater number of rearings and remained longer in the center of
the apparatus, in relation to the control group, with P15% being the group that remained
longer, in relation to all the experimental animals. groups. Regarding locomotion and
grooming, there was no significant difference between the groups. In the elevated plus
maze, groups P5%, P10% and P15% remained longer in the open arms compared to the
control group, while P15% remained longer in this region and less time in the closed arms
compared to the other groups. No significant differences were observed between the
groups regarding the length of stay of the animals in the center of the apparatus; P5%,
P10% and P15% performed a greater number of head dives. As for the light-dark box,
P15% spent more time in the light part, less time in the dark part and performed fewer
transitions. P5%, P10% and P15% showed lower concentrations of lipid peroxidation.
Our data demonstrated that consumption of palm flour by elderly rats promoted anxiolytic
effects and minimized cerebral lipid peroxidation. Given the above, it can be deduced that
cactus pear can contribute to the prevention and/or treatment of anxiety.