Protection of cholinergic and antioxidant system contributes to the effect of Vitamin D ameliorating memory dysfunction in sporadic dementia of Alzheimer's type.

Objective: Investigate Vitamin D (VD) effect on the Acetylcholinesterase (AChE), oxidative damage and behavioral tests in animals subjected to Intracerebroventicular injection of Streptozotocin (ICV-STZ) simulating a Sporadic Dementia of Alzheimer's Type (SDAT) and treated with VD (21 days).

Methods: Animals were divided into eight groups: Vehicle, VD12.5 μg/kg, VD42 μg/kg, VD125 μg/kg, STZ, STZ+VD12.

Caffeine prevents changes in muscle caused by high-intensity interval training.

The use of ergogenic substances such as caffeine has become a strategy to enhance sports performance. In the present study we evaluated the effects of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) associated with caffeine intake on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and CaATPase activity and glycogen levels in the muscles of rats were evaluated. The animals were divided in groups: control, caffeine 4 or 8mg/kg, HIIT, HIIT plus caffeine 4 or caffeine 8mg/kg.

Alterations in the extracellular catabolism of nucleotides and platelet aggregation induced by high-fat diet in rats: effects of α-tocopherol.

The aim of this study was to assess whether α-tocopherol administration prevented alterations in the ectonucleotidase activities and platelet aggregation induced by high-fat diet in rats. Thus, we examined four groups of male rats which received standard diet, high-fat diet (HFD), α-tocopherol (α-Toc), and high-fat diet plus α-tocopherol. HFD was administered ad libitum and α-Toc by gavage using a dose of 50 mg/kg.

Effects of chlorogenic acid, caffeine, and coffee on behavioral and biochemical parameters of diabetic rats.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is associated with brain alterations that may contribute to cognitive dysfunctions. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) and caffeine (CA), abundant in coffee (CF), are natural compounds that have showed important actions in the brain. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of CGA, CA, and CF on acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Na(+), K(+)-ATPase, aminolevulinate dehydratase (δ-ALA-D) activities and TBARS levels from cerebral cortex, as well as memory and anxiety in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Rosmarinic acid prevents lipid peroxidation and increase in acetylcholinesterase activity in brain of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

We investigated the efficacy of rosmarinic acid (RA) in preventing lipid peroxidation and increased activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the brain of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The animals were divided into six groups (n = 8): control, ethanol, RA 10 mg/kg, diabetic, diabetic/ethanol and diabetic/RA 10 mg/kg. After 21 days of treatment with RA, the cerebral structures (striatum, cortex and hippocampus) were removed for experimental assays.

Protective effects of anthocyanins on the ectonucleotidase activity in the impairment of memory induced by scopolamine in adult rats.

Aims: We investigated whether the treatment with anthocyanins prevents the scopolamine-induced memory deficits and whether ectonucleotidase activities and purine levels are altered in the cerebral cortex (CC) and hippocampus (HC) in this model of mnemonic deficit in rats.

Main Methods: The animals were divided into 4 experimental groups: control (vehicle), anthocyanins (Antho), scopolamine (SCO), and scopolamine plus anthocyanins (SCO+Antho). After seven days of treatment, they were tested in the inhibitory avoidance task and open field test and submitted to euthanasia.

α-Tocopherol regulates ectonucleotidase activities in synaptosomes from rats fed a high-fat diet.

α-Tocopherol (α-Toc) is involved in various physiologic processes, which present antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. High-fat diets have an important role in neurodegenerative diseases and neurological disturbances. This study aimed to investigate the effects of treatment with α-Toc and the consumption of high-fat diets on ectonucleotidase activities in synaptosomes of cerebral cortex, hippocampus and striatum of rats.