Efeitos do extrato de Centella asiatica no estresse oxidativo e sistema purinérgico de animais submetidos à privação maternal e ao isolamento social

Abstract

Centella asiatica (C.asiatica) is a medicinal plant that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Some disorders, such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and stress, can cause inflammatory responses and oxidative imbalance in the body. In this study we seek to establish the effects of chronic treatment with C. asiatica on oxidative stress and the purinergic system, in an animal model. This is an experimental study with male and female Wistar rats, divided into 5 treatment groups, called saline control, saline stress, escitalopram stress, C.asiatica and madecassic acid. The rats were exposed to the stress model due to maternal deprivation and social isolation in early adulthood and underwent treatment according to the protocol, except for the control group. The compounds were administered by gavage method during the period established by the protocol. At the end of treatment, the rats were euthanized and biological samples were collected, consisting of serum and prefrontal cortex tissue, packed in microtubes , kept at -20°C. Analyzes of markers for oxidative stress and the purinergic system were carried out. Statistical analysis occurred using one-way ANOVA , followed by Tukey's post-hoc test , adopting a significance level of p<0.05. The analyzes revealed that chronic treatment with C. asiatica and the active compound madecassic acid had modulating effects on oxidative stress in TBARS, vitamin C, NPSH results in male and female groups. This data suggests the presence of antioxidant activity except in ROS in the female group. The activities in the hydrolysis of ATP, ADP and AMP of the purinergic system attenuated the enzymatic activity as a protective response of the cell membrane. It is possible to verify that chronic treatment with C. asiatica and the active compound madecassic acid have modulatory effects on oxidative stress and the purinergic system, a result that proves the mechanisms related to the treament of MDD.