Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of Mucuna pruriens (MP) administration on neuroinflammation and behavioral and murinometric parameters in obese rats. Proximate composition, oligosaccharide and phenolic compound profile of MP were determined. Wistar adult male rats were randomized into healthy (HG) and obese group (OG). The HG consumed a control chow diet while OG consumed a cafeteria diet for eight weeks. Then, they were subdivided into: Healthy (HG); Healthy with MP administration (HGMP); Obese (OG); Obese with MP administration (OGMP), with the consumption of the respective diets remaining for another eight weeks, in addition to gavage with MP extract to supplemented groups (750 mg/kg weight). MP presented a composition rich in proteins and phenolic compounds, especially catechin, in addition to 1-kestose and levodopa. Supplementation reduced food intake, body weight, and thoracic and abdominal circumferences in obese rats. MP showed anxiolytic and antidepressant effects and reduced morphological damage and expression of interleukin 6 in the hippocampus of obese rats. MP treatment showed satietogenic, slimming, anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, besides to minimizing hippocampal neuroinflammation in obese rats. Our results demonstrated the potential anti-obesity of MP which are probably related to the high content of bioactive compounds present in this plant extract.
Highlights
IntroductionMuch has been studied about physical comorbidities associated with obesity, the relationship of this disease to mental health has only just begun to be explored in recent decades, relating it to psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, binge eating and even changes in memory and cognition [5]
The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of Mucuna pruriens (MP) administration on neuroinflammation and on behavioral and murinometric parameters in obese rats
The MP extract is not a source of fibers, the 1-kestose compound was quantified for the first time in MP and is an oligosaccharide with potential prebiotic action and may have influenced the reduction in food intake and the weight loss of obese rats (OGMP), since oligosaccharides are prebiotics which contribute to a healthy gut microbiota leading to the production of short- chain fatty acids (SCFA), such as acetate, propionate and butyrate, which can increase the expression of hormones related to satiety, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY) [21], or even regulate the appetite and decrease caloric intake via the hypothalamic nucleus [22]
Summary
Much has been studied about physical comorbidities associated with obesity, the relationship of this disease to mental health has only just begun to be explored in recent decades, relating it to psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, binge eating and even changes in memory and cognition [5]. The cause for this relationship can be at the nervous system level, since obesity causes changes in neural circuits, neuroendocrine activity, metabolism and neurotransmitter and neurogenesis activity [6]. IL-6 is one of the most important cytokines in chronic inflammation present in obesity, and is one of the main cytokines secreted by different brain cells [10]
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