The neurotherapeutic role of a selenium-functionalized quinoline in hypothalamic obese rats.

RATIONALE: Obesity is considered one of the major global health problems and increases the risk of several medical complications, such as diabetes and mental illnesses. OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the effect of 7-chloro-4-(phenylselanyl) quinoline (4-PSQ) on obesity parameters, behavioral and neurochemical alterations in hypothalamic obese rats. METHODS: Male Wistar rats received subcutaneous neonatal injections of monosodium glutamate (MSG, 4g/kg) or saline. After the Lee Index evaluation, rats were divided into groups and treated with 4-PSQ (5 mg/kg, intragastric route) or canola oil once a day (post-natal days (PND) 60→76). Open-field, elevated plus-maze, forced swim task, object recognition/location memory, and stepdown inhibitory avoidance tasks were conducted from PND 66 to 74. On PND 76, rats were euthanized and epididymal fat, blood, cerebral cortex, andhippocampus were removed. Blood biochemical parameters and cortical/hippocampal acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and Na /K -ATPase activities were assessed. RESULTS: MSG increased the Lee Index characterizing the chemically induced hypothalamic obesity model. 4-PSQ reversed the increases of epididymal fat, blood glucose, and triglyceride levels caused by MSG exposure. 4-PSQ attenuated anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors induced by neonatal administrations of MSG. Memory deficits found in MSG-obese rats were reversed by treatment with 4-PSQ. Neurochemical alterations produced by MSG evidenced by stimulation ofNa+/K+-ATPase and AChE activities in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of rats were normalized by 4-PSQ treatment. CONCLUSIONS: In brief, 4-PSQ therapy improved hypothalamic obesity-related parameters, as well as psychiatric symptoms, cognitive impairment, and neurochemical alterations found in obese rats.

The anxiolytic effect of a promising quinoline containing selenium with the contribution of the serotonergic and GABAergic pathways: Modulation of parameters associated with anxiety in mice.

Recently, we demonstrated the promising anxiolytic action of 7-chloro-4-(phenylselanyl) quinoline (4-PSQ) in mice. For this reason, the objective of this study was to expand our previous findings by investigating the contribution of serotoninergic and GABAergic systems to the anxiolytic action of this compound. Pretreatment with different serotoninergic antagonists (pindolol, WAY100635 and ketanserin) blocked the anxiolytic effect caused by 4-PSQ (50 mg/kg, per oral) in the elevated plus maze (EPM) test. The contribution of the GABAergic system was investigated by pretreatment with pentylenetetrazole (a GABAA receptor antagonist) (PTZ). 4-PSQ diminished the PTZ-induced anxiety, and did not modify the locomotor, exploratory and motor activities of mice. Later, this group of animals was euthanized and the blood was removed to determine the levels of corticosterone, and cerebral cortex and hippocampus to determine the mRNA expression levels of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), as well as the Na+, K+ ATPase activity and reactive species (RS) levels. 4-PSQ was able to significantly reverse the increase in RS and corticosterone levels, as well as the decrease of CREB and BDNF expression in the cerebral structures and increase of NF-κB expression in the hippocampus. Finally, 4-PSQ restored the Na+, K+ ATPase activity in the cerebral structures evaluated. Here, we showed that the modulation of serotonergic and GABAergic systems, factors related to neurogenesis, oxidative status and Na+, K+ ATPase activity contributes to the anxiolytic effect of 4-PSQ and reinforces the therapeutical potential of this compound for the treatment of anxiety.

Elaboração de barras de cereais com ingredientes alternativos e regionais do oeste do Paraná / Elaboration of cereal bars with alternative and regional ingredients from the western of Paraná

A tendência de consumir mais alimentos nutritivos, no lugar de doces e guloseimas tem levado ao aparecimento de novos tipos de produtos, tais como barras de cereais diversificadas. Dentro dos produtos a base de cereais, as barras podem fornecer importante suplementação de calorias e elementos nutritivos como lipídeos, fibras, proteínas, minerais e vitaminas. Uma alternativa que vem ganhando corpo desde o início da década de 1970 consiste no aproveitamento de resíduos (principalmente cascas e sementes), ou seja, o processo de fabricação de farinhas, a partir de certas frutas como matéria-prima para a produção de alguns alimentos perfeitamente passíveis de serem incluídos na alimentação humana. Desse modo, este trabalho teve por objetivo utilizar ingredientes alternativos na elaboração das barras de cereais, tornando estas mais nutritivas, com propriedades funcionais diversificadas e verificar a aceitabilidade desse produto. Foram desenvolvidas quatro diferentes tipos de barras de cereais com ingredientes alternativos e disponíveis na região, tais como: sementes de abóbora, melão e melancia, e farinha da casca de maracujá. Realizou-se análise sensorial das barras desenvolvidas por uma equipe orientada, para avaliação da aceitabilidade de cada uma das barras de cereais. Assim, determinou-se a composição centesimal de uma das barras por meio das análises físico-químicas de: lipídeos, carboidratos, fibras, minerais, umidade, proteínas e valor calórico. A barra de cereal formulada a partir de produtos alternativos, como sementes e casca de frutas, apresentou baixo valor calórico, apreciáveis quantidades de fibras e proteínas e baixo teor de lipídeos. Além disso, também apresentaram grande aceitabilidade; e devido à introdução de alimentos alternativos como sementes e casca de frutas, tornaram-se um produto mais nutritivo, e com propriedades funcionais diversificadas para serem consumidas diariamente, como lanches.

The tendency of consuming more nutritious food instead of sweets and candies led to the emergence of new sorts of products such as diverse cereal bars. Among the products made from cereals, bars can provide important supplemental calories and nutrients such as lipids, fiber, protein, minerals and vitamins. One alternative that has become popular since the beginning of the 1970s is the use of waste material (mainly peels and seeds), that is, the process of making flour from certain fruits as raw material for the production of some foods is perfectly likely to be included in food. This study aimed to use alternative ingredients in the preparation of cereal bars, making them more nutritious, with diverse functional properties and acceptability of the same. It was developed four different sorts of cereal bars with alternative ingredients and also available in the region, such as, pumpkin seeds, melon and watermelon, and passion?s peel flour. It was accomplished a sensory analysis of the developed bars by a team-oriented to evaluate the acceptability of each of the cereal bars. It was determined the chemical composition of one of the bars through the physical and chemical analysis of: lipids, carbohydrates, fiber, minerals, humidity, protein and calorific content. The cereal bar made from alternative products such as seeds and fruit?s peel, showed lower calorific value, greater amount of fiber and carbohydrates and less fat. The cereal bar presented great acceptability and because of the introduction of alternative food such as seeds and fruit?s peel, became a more nutritious product with functional diverse properties to be consumed daily as snacks.

Kinetics of solvent-free lipase-catalyzed glycerolysis of olive oil in surfactant system.

This work reports experimental data and kinetic modeling of solvent-free glycerolysis of olive oil using a commercial immobilized lipase (Novozym 435) in the presence of Triton X-100 surfactant for the production of monoacylglycerols (MAG) and diacylglycerols (DAG). The experiments were performed in batch mode evaluating the effects of temperature (30-70 degrees C), enzyme concentration (2.5-18 wt %), Triton X-100 concentration (10-20 wt %), and glycerol to oil molar ratio (3:1, 6:1, and 9:1). Experimental results showed that lipase-catalyzed solvent-free glycerolysis with the addition of Triton X-100 might be a potential alternative route to conventional organic solvent methods, as good conversions were obtained with relatively low enzyme concentrations (9 wt %) in short reaction times (240 min). The glycerolysis and hydrolysis parallel reactions were considered with rate constants estimated by minimizing a maximum likelihood function. A very satisfactory agreement between experimental data and model results was obtained, thus allowing a better understanding of the reaction kinetics.