Bertholletia excelsa Seeds Reduce Anxiety-Like Behavior, Lipids, and Overweight in Mice

Oswaldo Frausto-González,Alberto Hernandez-Leon,Fausto Rivero-Cruz,Erika Estrada-Camarena,María Eva González-Trujano,Claudia J Bautista,Fernando Narváez-González

doi:10.3390/molecules26113212

Abstract

Overweight, obesity, and psychiatric disorders are serious health problems. To evidence the anxiolytic-like effects and lipid reduction in mice receiving a high-calorie diet and Bertholletia excelsa seeds in a nonpolar extract (SBHX, 30 and 300 mg/kg), animals were assessed in open-field, hole-board, and elevated plus-maze tests. SBHX (3 and 10 mg/kg) potentiated the pentobarbital-induced hypnosis. Chronic administration of SBHX for 40 days was given to mice fed with a hypercaloric diet to determine the relationship between water and food intake vs. changes in body weight. Testes, epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT), and liver were dissected to analyze fat content, triglycerides, cholesterol, and histological effects after administering the hypercaloric diet and SBHX. Fatty acids, such as palmitoleic acid (0.14%), palmitic acid (21.42%), linoleic acid (11.02%), oleic acid (59.97%), and stearic acid (7.44%), were identified as constituents of SBHX, producing significant anxiolytic-like effects and preventing body-weight gain in mice receiving the hypercaloric diet without altering their water or food consumption. There was also a lipid-lowering effect on the testicular tissue and eWAT and a reduction of adipocyte area in eWAT. Our data evidence beneficial properties of B. excelsa seeds influencing global health concerns such as obesity and anxiety.

Highlights

Obesity and overweight are global health issues that are present in many countries, including Mexico, that are in dire need of establishing strategies to control them
Several reports suggest a link between anxiety and obesity and overweight [1,2,3], pointing out that anxiety and mental stress increase the risk of developing obesity and being overweight [4,5]
A significant decrease in the behavioral exploration, induced by both SBHX doses, in mice was observed in the open-field (Figure 1A, F3,16 = 10.98, p = 0.0004) and hole-board (Figure 1B, F3,16 = 32.36, p < 0.0001) tests, as compared to the vehicle group and resembling the effects produced by the reference drug, diazepam (DZP, 0.1 mg/kg, i.p., Figure 1A,B)

Summary

Introduction

Obesity and overweight are global health issues that are present in many countries, including Mexico, that are in dire need of establishing strategies to control them. Several reports suggest a link between anxiety and obesity and overweight [1,2,3], pointing out that anxiety and mental stress increase the risk of developing obesity and being overweight [4,5]. The opposite is suggested, that obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing anxiety disorder [1], and in overweight women, increased social phobia is reported [6]. Social anxiety increases the risk of developing metabolic alterations in obese subjects [7]. Treatments that aim to diminish psychiatric pathologies and weight gain and obesity are necessary

Methods

Results

Conclusion