Dietary Euterpe oleracea Mart. attenuates seizures and damage to lipids in the brain of Colossoma macropomum.

The Amazonian açai fruit (Euterpe oleracea) has shown promising anticonvulsant properties, comparable to those of diazepam (BDZ) in in vivo models submitted to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). PTZ is a classic convulsant agent used in studies for the purpose of screening anticonvulsants and investigating the mechanisms of epilepsy. Herein, we aimed to determine, for the first time, the effect of dietary administration of lyophilized E. oleracea (LEO) on PTZ-induced seizures, using juvenile Colossoma macropomum fish (9.1 ± 1.5 g) as a model. A control diet (0.00% LEO) and two levels of LEO inclusion were established: 5.00% and 10.0% LEO (w/w). Fish were divided into five groups (n = 5): control (0.9% physiological solution; i.p.), PTZ (PTZ 150 mg kg-1; i.p.), PTZ LEO 5.00%, PTZ LEO 10.0%, and BDZ-PTZ (BDZ: diazepam 10 mg kg-1; i.p.). In addition to the electroencephalography (EEG), the lipid peroxidation (TBARS) was quantified in the brain, along with the characterization of behavioral responses. Fish receiving PTZ showed intense action potential bursts (APB), which overlapped with a hyperactive behavior. In PTZ LEO 5.00% and 10.0% groups, convulsive behavior was significantly reduced compared to the PTZ group. Fish fed 5.00% or 10.0% LEO and exposed to PTZ showed less excitability and lower mean amplitude in tracings. The inclusion of 10.0% LEO in the diet prevented the increase in mean amplitude of the EEG waves by 80%, without significant differences to the quantified mean amplitude of the BDZ-PTZ group. TBARS concentration was reduced by 60% in the brain of fish fed 10.0% LEO-enriched diets relative to the PTZ-administered group. The results of this study demonstrated the anticonvulsant and protective roles of LEO to the brain, and the dietary inclusion of LEO seems to be promising for the formulation of functional diets. Results of this study may boost the interest on the anti-seizurogenic properties of Euterpe oleracea, including the development of new approaches for the prevention of seizures in humans and animals with low epileptic threshold.

Neuropeptide Y gene expression around meal time in the Brazilian flounder Paralichthys orbignyanus.

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is considered the major stimulant for food intake in mammals and fish. Previous results indicate that NPY is involved in the feeding behaviour of the Brazilian flounder, Paralichthys orbignyanus. In this study, we evaluated hypothalamic NPY expression before (-2 h), during (0 h) and after feeding (+2 h) in two independent experiments: (1) during a normal feeding schedule and (2) in fish fasted for 2 weeks. During normal feeding, changes in the levels of NPY mRNA were periprandial, with expression levels being significantly elevated at meal time (P less than 0.05) and significantly reduced 2 h later (P less than 0.05). Comparing the fasting and unfasted groups, NPY mRNA levels were significantly higher (P less than 0.05) at -2 h and +2 h in the fasting group, but there was no difference at 0 h. In addition, the higher NPY mRNA levels that were observed in the fasting group were maintained throughout the sampling period. In summary, our results show that NPY expression was associated with meal time (0 h) in food intake regulation.