Publications by authors named "Daniela Dimer Leffa"

Obesity is a multifactorial disease that comes from an imbalance between food intake and energy expenditure. Moreover, studies have shown a relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and obesity. In the present study, we investigated the effect of acerola juices (unripe, ripe, and industrial) and its main pharmacologically active components (vitamin C and rutin) on the activity of enzymes of energy metabolism in the brain of mice fed a palatable cafeteria diet.

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The use of a combination of ketamine and xylazine is broadly used either for anesthesia or euthanasia in rodent animal models in research. However, the genotoxicity and mutagenic effects of these drugs are unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate these effects to help the understanding of elevated values in negative controls in genotoxic/mutagenic assays.

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The use of gold nanoparticles is increasing in medicine; however, their toxic effects remain to be elucidated. Studies show that gold nanoparticles can cross the blood-brain barrier, as well as accumulate in the brain. Therefore, this study was undertaken to better understand the effects of gold nanoparticles on rat brains.

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Sepsis is a severe clinical syndrome in which a system-wide inflammatory response follows initial attempts to eliminate pathogens. It is not novel that in sepsis the brain is one of the first organs affected which causes an increase in morbidity and mortality and its consequences may be exacerbated when associated with a diagnosis of chronic inflammation, such as in obesity. Thus, the aim of the present study is to evaluate the susceptibility to brain damage after sepsis in obese rats.

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We evaluated the impact of a supplemental acerola juice (unripe, ripe, and industrial) and its main pharmaceutically active components on the concentrations of minerals in the liver and kidney of mice fed with cafeteria diet. Swiss male mice were fed with a cafeteria (CAF) diet for 13 weeks. The CAF consisted of a variety of supermarket products with high energy content.

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Objective: This study investigated the influence of ageing - in particular the decrease of gonadal hormone levels during the ageing process - on the memory and the levels of DNA damage in the hippocampus of female rats.

Methods: Three groups of female Wistar rats were investigated: Group I consisted of non-ovariectomised, adult animals (6 months old); Group II consisted of non-ovariectomised, aged animals (18 months old); and Group III consisted of ovariectomised, aged animals (18 months old). The memory of the animals in these groups was examined via novel object recognition and inhibitory avoidance tests.

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Background: Obesity has been studied as a metabolic and an inflammatory disease and is characterized by increases in the production of pro-inflammatory adipokines in the adipose tissue.To elucidate the effects of natural dietary components on the inflammatory and metabolic consequences of obesity, we examined the effects of unripe, ripe and industrial acerola juice (Malpighia emarginata DC.) on the relevant inflammatory and lipolysis proteins in the adipose tissue of mice with cafeteria diet-induced obesity.

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Acerola contains high levels of vitamin C and rutin and shows the corresponding antioxidant properties. Oxidative stress on the other hand is an important factor in the development of obesity. In this study, we investigated the biochemical and antigenotoxic effects of acerola juice in different stages of maturity (unripe, ripe and industrial) and its main pharmacologically active components vitamin C and rutin, when given as food supplements to obese mice.

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Neuropeptide S (NPS) and its receptor were recently discovered in the central nervous system. In rodents, NPS promotes hyperlocomotion, wakefulness, anxiolysis, anorexia, and analgesia and enhances memory when injected intracerebroventricularly (i.c.

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Melissa officinalis (L.) (Lamiaceae), a plant known as the lemon balm, is native to the east Mediterranean region and west Asia. Also found in tropical countries, such as Brazil, where it is popularly known as "erva-cidreira" or "melissa", it is widely used in aqueous- or alcoholic-extract form in the treatment of various disorders.

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We assessed the content of heavy metals in the liver and the DNA damage in blood cells of insectivore bats in the Catarinense Carboniferous Basin, Southern Brazil. Three bats species (Molossus molossus, Tadarida brasiliensis and Eptesicus diminutus) were collected in a coal mining area and in a control area. The heavy metal content in bats was detected according to the PIXE technique and the DNA damage was assessed by the Comet assay.

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Coal mining is an activity with a high potential for environmental pollution. Coal has been described as the most significant pollutant of all the fossil fuels, containing a heterogeneous mixture. Many elements present in coal byproducts as well as coal tailings are rich in potentially toxic and genotoxic metals, which ultimately lead to profound changes in cells, tissues, populations, and ecosystems.

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