Efecto del zumo del fruto Solanum quitoense (lulo) sobre el daño cerebral y cognitivo inducido por cloruro de mercurio en ratones

Abstract

Introduction: Neurodegenerative diseases have been increasing in recent decades, with dementia being the main pathology with the greatest impact globally. Objective: To evaluate the neuroprotective effect of Solanum quitoense (lulo) fruit juice against the toxicity of mercury (II) chloride in mice. Materials and methods: Experimental design, with control group and post-test. 42 male mice were used. To induce toxicity, a solution of HgCl2 (10 mg/kg) was used via the orogastric route for a period of seven days. During this period, they received the following treatments: groups I and II physiological saline; groups III vitamin E (40IU/kg); group IV-V-VI lulo juice, 0.5; 2.0 and 8.0 mL/kg, respectively. Once the treatment was completed, the animals were sacrificed by decapitation, the brain and cerebellum were removed from the cranial cavity. The left hemisphere was homogenized for the determination of lipoperoxidation, glutathione (reduced and total), superoxide dismutase and catalase activity. The right hemisphere and cerebellum were preserved for histological evaluation. Cognitive function (learning and memory) was evaluated according to the Deacon and Rawlis protocol. Results: The administration of lulo juice decreased brain indices in groups V-VI. Lipoperoxidation decreased (groups IV-VI), the GSH/GSSG ratio increased (groups V-VI). Catalase activity increased (groups IV-VI). The SOD/CAT ratio decreased (groups IV-VI). The latency time and number of attempts were lower in groups IV-VI. Conclusions: The administration of Solanum quitoense fruit juice has a neuroprotective effect for the model studied. Keywords: neuroprotection, Solanum quitoense, mercuric chloride, cognitive function, functional food (source: MeSH NLM).