Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The administration of food supplemented with cocoa powder during nutritional recovery reduces damage caused by oxidative stress in rat brain

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Malnutrition contributes to the development of oxidative damage in the central nervous system. The selective administration of nutrients tends to show positive results in individuals who have suffered from malnutrition. To determine the effect of the administration of cocoa powder on the peroxidation of lipids and glutathione level during the nutritional recovery in brain, rats of 21 days old were subjected to a protocol that resembles malnutrition (MN) by feeding them with 60% of the daily food consumption of the control group (WN) and later to nutritional recovery with regular rodent feed (RFR) or added with cocoa (10 g of cocoa powder/kg of regular rodent feed) (CCR). Animals fed with regular rodent food showed significant reduction in brain glutathione: RFR (84.18 ± 6.38 ng/mg protein) vs. CCR (210.61 ± 50.10 ng/mg protein) and WN (186.55 ± 33.18 ng/mg protein), but with similar level to that of MN (92.12 ± 15.60 ng/mg protein). On the contrary, lipid peroxidation in RFR-fed animals increased RFR (1.32 ± 0.2 μM malondialdehyde/g of tissue), CCR (0.86 ± 0.07 μM malondialdehyde/g of tissue), WN (0.89 ± 0.09 μM malondialdehyde/g of tissue), but their thiobarbituric acid reactive substances concentration is similar to that of MN group (1.50 ± 0.2 μM malondialdehyde/g of tissue). Consumption of cocoa powder as a source of antioxidants favors the restoration of the concentration of glutathione and reduces the damage caused by oxidative stress during nutritional recovery in rat brain.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adkins SM (2009) Recognizing and preventing refeeding syndrome. Dimens Crit Care Nurs 28:53–58

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Baba S, Osakabe N, Natsume M, Yasuda A, Takizawa T, Nakamura T (2000) Cocoa powder enhances the level of antioxidative activity in rat plasma. Br J Nutr 84:673–680

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Becker K, Pons-Kühnemann J, Fechner A (2005) Effects of antioxidants on glutathione levels and clinical recovery from the malnutrition syndrome kwashiorkor a pilot study. Redox Rep 10:215–226

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cai Q, Rahn RO, Zhang R (1997) Dietary flavonoids, quercetin, luteolin and genistein, reduce oxidative DNA damage and lipid peroxidation and quench free radicals. Cancer Lett 119:99–107

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dobbing J (1990) Vulnerable periods in the developing brain. In: Dobbing J (ed) Brain, behavior and iron in the infant diet. Springer, London, pp 1–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Fechner A, Böhme C, Gromer S, Funk M, Schirmer R, Becker K (2001) Antioxidant status and nitric oxide in the malnutrition syndrome kwashiorkor. Pediatr Res 49:237–243

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feoli AM, Siqueira I, Almeida LM (2006) Brain glutathione content and glutamate uptake are reduced in rats exposed to pre and postnatal protein malnutrition. J Nutr 136:2357–2361

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Georgieff MK (2007) Nutrition and the developing brain: nutrient priorities and measurement. Am J Clin Nutr 85(suppl):614S–620S

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gutteridge MC, Halliwell B (1990) The measurement and mechanism of lipid peroxidation in biological systems. Trends Biochem Sci 15:129–135

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • He XJ, Yi ZW, Tian Y, Lu XY, Dang XQ, Mo SH, Yang HB (2006) Ability of catechin to eliminate O2–* and *OH. J Cent S Univ Med Sci 31:138–140

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hertog MG, Kromhout D, Aravanis C, Blackburn H, Buzina R, Fidanza F (1995) Flavonoid intake and long-term risk of coronary heart disease and cancer in the seven countries study. Arch Intern Med 155:381–386

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hissin PJ, Hilf R (1976) A fluorometric method for determination of oxidized and reduced glutathione in tissues. Anal Biochem 74:214–226

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee IM, Paffenbarger RS (1998) Life is sweet: candy consumption and longevity. BMJ 317:1683–1684

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee KW, Kim YJ, Lee HJ, Lee CY (2003) Cocoa has more phenolic phytochemicals and a higher antioxidant capacity than teas and red wine. J Agric Food Chem 51:7292–7295

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Li J, Wang H, Stoner GD, Bray TM (2002) Dietary supplementation with cysteine prodrugs selectively restores tissue glutathione levels and redox status in protein-malnourished mice. J Nutr Biochem 13:625–633

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Manary MJ, Leeuwenburgh C, Heinecke JW (2000) Increased oxidative stress in kwashiorkor. J Pediatr 137:421–424

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Manjarrez GG, Magdaleno VM, Chagoya G, Hernández J (1996) Nutritional recovery does not reverse the activation of brain serotonin synthesis in the ontogenetically malnourished rat. Int J Dev Neurosc 14:641–648

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Martín MA, Serrano AB, Ramos S, Pulido MI, Bravo L, Goya L (2008) Cocoa flavonoids up-regulate antioxidant enzyme activity via the ERK1/2 pathway to protect against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells. J Nutr Biochem. doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2008.10.009

  • Masella R, Di Benedetto R, Varì R, Filesi C, Giovannini C (2005) Novel mechanisms of natural antioxidant compounds in biological systems: involvement of glutathione and glutathione-related enzymes. J Nutr Biochem 16:577–586

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miller KB, Hurst WJ, Payne MJ, Stuart DA, Apgar J, Sweigart DS, Ou B (2008) Impact of alkalization on the antioxidant and flavanol content of commercial cocoa powders. J Agric Food Chem 56:8527–8533

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Natsume M, Osakabe N, Yamagishi M, Takizawa T, Nakamura T, Miyatake H, Hatano T, Yoshida T (2000) Analysis of polyphenols in cocoa liquor, cocoa, and chocolate by normal-phase and reversed-phase HPLC. Biosci Biotechnol Biochem 64:2581–2587

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Okushio K, Suzuki M, Matsumoto N, Nanjo F, Hara Y (1999) Identification of (−)-epicatechin metabolites and their metabolic fate in the rat. Drug Metab Dispos 27:309–316

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Osakabe N, Yamagishi M, Sanbongi C, Natsume M, Takizawa T, Osawa T (1998) The antioxidative substances in cocoa liquor. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo) 44:313–321

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Osakabe N, Yasuda A, Natsume M, Takizawa T, Terao J, Kondo K (2002) Catechins and their oligomers linked by C4→C8 bonds are major cocoa polyphenols and protect low-density lipoprotein from oxidation in vitro. Exp Biol Med 227:51–56

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Piskula MK, Terao J (1998) Accumulation of (−)-epicatechin metabolites in rat plasma after oral administration and distribution of conjugation enzymes in rat tissues. J Nutr 128:1172–1178

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scalbert A, Johnson IT, Saltmarsh M (2005) Polyphenols: antioxidants and beyond. Am J Clin Nutr 81(1 Suppl):215S–217S

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sidhu P, Garg ML, Dhawan DK (2005) Protective effects of zinc on oxidative stress enzymes in liver of protein-deficient rats. Drug Chem Toxicol 28:211–230

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sies H, Stahl W, Sevanian A (2005) Nutritional, dietary and postprandial oxidative stress. J Nutr 135:969–972

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ventrucci G, Ramos SLG, Roston MMA (2004) Effects of a leucine-rich diet on body composition during nutritional recovery in rats. Nutrition 20:213–217

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Weisburger JH (2001) Chemopreventive effects of cocoa polyphenols on chronic diseases. Exp Biol Med 226:891–897

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors want to express their gratitude to Dr. Cyril Ndidi Nwoye, a native English speaker, for translating this manuscript.

Conflicts of interest

We declared that there are no conflicts of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Neuroquímica, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría (INP), Mexico City, Mexico

    Gerardo Barragán Mejía, David Calderón Guzmán, Nancy Hernández Martínez, Edna García Cruz, Aline Morales Ramírez, Norma Labra Ruiz & Gabriela Esquivel Jiménez

  2. Laboratorio de Farmacología, INP, Avenida Imán No1, 3rd piso, Colonia Cuicuilco, CP 04530, Mexico City, Mexico

    Hugo Juárez Olguín & Raquel García Álvarez

  3. Facultad de Medicina, UNAM, Mexico City, Mexico

    Hugo Juárez Olguín & Raquel García Álvarez

  4. Laboratorio de Patología Experimental, INP, Mexico City, Mexico

    Norma Osnaya Brizuela

  5. Laboratorio de Seguimiento del Neurodesarrollo, INP, Mexico City, Mexico

    Esperanza Ontiveros Mendoza

Authors
  1. Gerardo Barragán Mejía
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. David Calderón Guzmán
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hugo Juárez Olguín
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nancy Hernández Martínez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Edna García Cruz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Aline Morales Ramírez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Norma Labra Ruiz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Gabriela Esquivel Jiménez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Norma Osnaya Brizuela
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Raquel García Álvarez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Esperanza Ontiveros Mendoza
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hugo Juárez Olguín.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Barragán Mejía, G., Calderón Guzmán, D., Juárez Olguín, H. et al. The administration of food supplemented with cocoa powder during nutritional recovery reduces damage caused by oxidative stress in rat brain. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 384, 499–504 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-011-0676-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-011-0676-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation