Protective effects of Hydrocotyle umbellata var. bonariensis Lam. (Araliaceae) on memory in sleep-impaired female mice.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Hydrocotyle umbellata var.bonariensis Lam. (Hb), popularly known in Brazil as acariçoba and outside Brazil Hb by a number of names including marsh-pennywort, and many-flower, has traditionally been used in Ayurvedic medicine in the retardation of aging (Rasayana effect). AIM OF THE STUDY: The present study evaluated the effect of Hb treatment before and during paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) and sleep restriction (SR) on learning, memory, and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) brain activity. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Adult Swiss nulliparous female mice were randomly distributed among the experimental groups. The treated groups received the aqueous solution of Hb leaves orally at concentrations of 500 and 1.000 mg/kg. PSD and SR were induced by the multiple platform method, in which the animals remained for 3-days in PSD or 15-days in SR for 22 h per day. The collection of the vaginal epithelium occurred daily to determine the estrous cycle. Body mass gain was determined. The animals were submitted to the passive avoidance test and were then euthanized for the collection of brain tissue and the determination of cerebral cholinesterase activity. RESULTS: The aqueous solution of Hb was associated with a significant reduction in cholinesterase activity at both doses in the SR model, and at the dose of 1.000 mg/kg in the PSD model. Regarding the learning and memory test, the PSD group treated with 1.000 mg/kg presented significant improvement, whereas in the SR experiment none of the treated-groups showed any improvement in learning and memory. In the analysis of SR/PSD interference and/or Hb treatment on the estrous cycle, it was possible to observe that the treatment acted as a protector in the SR group, maintaining a normal cycle. CONCLUSIONS: The analyses showed that Hb was safe to use during periods of SR or PSD, acting as an adaptogen for these situations, in addition to being able to reduce cholinesterase activity, which suggests its neuroprotective action. In relation to the estrous cycle, Hb can act as a protector in SR situations.

Sleep loss and acute drug abuse can induce DNA damage in multiple organs of mice.

The purpose of the present study was to characterize the genetic damage induced by paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) in combination with cocaine or ecstasy (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; MDMA) in multiple organs of male mice using the single cell gel (comet) assay. C57BL/6J mice were submitted to PSD by the platform technique for 72 hours, followed by drug administration and evaluation of DNA damage in peripheral blood, liver and brain tissues. Cocaine was able to induce genetic damage in the blood, brain and liver cells of sleep-deprived mice at the majority of the doses evaluated. Ecstasy also induced increased DNA migration in peripheral blood cells for all concentrations tested. Analysis of damaged cells by the tail moment data suggests that ecstasy is a genotoxic chemical at the highest concentrations tested, inducing damage in liver or brain cells after sleep deprivation in mice. Taken together, our results suggest that cocaine and ecstasy/MDMA act as potent genotoxins in multiple organs of mice when associated with sleep loss.

Impact of sex on hyperalgesia induced by sleep loss.

This study evaluated the impact of sex on the short term consequences of different periods of sleep deprivation and the effect of the respective sleep recovery periods on nociceptive responses. Male and female C57BL/6J mice were assigned to the following groups: paradoxical sleep deprived (PSD) for 72 h, sleep restricted (SR) for 15 days, exposed to respective recovery periods for 24 h, or untreated home-cage controls (CTRL). Mice were submitted to a noxious thermal stimulus to evaluate their nociceptive response after PSD, SR, or recovery periods. Blood was collected for hormonal analysis. The nociceptive response was significantly lower in PSD and SR mice compared to CTRL animals, regardless of the sex. However, SR females had a lower paw withdrawal threshold than males. Sleep recovery was able to restore normal nociceptive sensitivity after PSD in both sexes. The hyperalgesia induced by SR was not reversed by sleep rebound. In females, low concentrations of estradiol were found after SR, and these concentrations continued to decrease after 24 hours of sleep recovery. The PSD male mice exhibited higher concentrations of corticosterone than the CTRL and SR male mice. Corticosterone levels were not affected by SR. Our study revealed that PSD and SR induce hyperalgesia in mice. The SR groups showed marked changes in the nociceptive response, and the females were more sensitive to these alterations. This finding indicates that, although different periods of sleep deprivation change the nociceptive sensitivity in male and female mice, sex could influence hyperalgesia induced by chronic sleep loss.