Micro-Vesicles of Seeds in Heterozygous Rats for DAT Gene: Effects of Oral Intake on Behavioral Profile and Hematological Parameters.

Previous studies have shown multiple biological properties of , a plant native to Africa and Asia. In the present study, potential physiological properties of microvesicles extracted from seeds were assessed. For this purpose, we investigated behavioral profile and hematological parameters in a recent rat model characterized by dysregulation in dopamine transporter, a key regulator of dopaminergic system. Experimental design consisted of male Wistar-DAT rats aged between two and four months: wild-type (WT) ( = 5) and heterozygous (DATHET) ( = 4) control groups, which drank tap water; WT ( = 5) and DATHET ( = 6) groups which drank a solution of microvesicles and water (2: 68 mL per day), which was orally administered for two months. Rats were monitored for spontaneous locomotor activity on a 24/7 basis. In the early lit hours, treated DATHET subjects showed higher locomotor activity, proposing a sleep-delay effect of . In forced swimming test, WT subjects who took exhibited more depressive behavior. In DATHET rats, seemed to potentiate the struggle to find a way out, counteracting an initial panic. Hemoglobin and hematocrit underwent opposite changes in either genotype, supporting the opposite effects on behavioral phenotype observed. Future work is clearly needed to further explore these preliminary profiles.