What We Know about Euterpe Genus and Neuroprotection: A Scoping Review.

The Euterpe genus (mainly Euterpe oleracea Martius, Euterpe precatoria Martius, and Euterpe edulis Martius) has recently gained commercial and scientific notoriety due to the high nutritional value of its fruits, which are rich in polyphenols (phenolic acids and anthocyanins) and have potent antioxidant activity. These characteristics have contributed to the increased number of neuropharmacological evaluations of the three species over the last 10 years, especially açaí of the species Euterpe oleracea Martius. The fruits of the three species exert neuroprotective effects through the modulation of inflammatory and oxidative pathways and other mechanisms, including the inhibition of the mTOR pathway and protection of the blood-brain barrier, all of them intimately involved in several neuropathologies. Thus, a better understanding of the neuropharmacological properties of these three species may open new paths for the development of therapeutic tools aimed at preventing and treating a variety of neurological conditions.

Chronic ethanol forced administration from adolescence to adulthood reduces cell density in the rat spinal cord.

Ethanol (EtOH) consumption is a risk factor for central nervous system damage, especially during adolescence. This study aimed to investigate the possible effects of chronic EtOH forced administration on gray and white matter of the spinal cord, from adolescence to adulthood. For this, male Wistar rats were administered EtOH by gavage (6.5 g/kg/day; 22.5% w/v) from the 35th to the 90th day of life, while control animals received only distilled water. After exposure, animals were euthanized and their spinal cords processed to obtain cervical and thoracic segments for histological analyses. Quantitative analyses of total cell density and motor neurons of white and gray matter from the ventral horns were evaluated. Forced EtOH administration model showed a decrease in the motoneuron density in the spinal cord in both segments evaluated. Analyses of total cell density showed that the cervical segment was more susceptible to damages promoted by EtOH, with a significant decrease in cell density. Our results showed that chronic EtOH exposure during adolescence could promote injuries to the spinal cord, with neurodegeneration of motoneurons and other cell types present in neural parenchyma.