Abstract

This  study  aimed  to  evaluate  the  effect  of  chronic  treatment  with  purple  grape  
juice  (Vitis  labrusca  L.),  by  free  access  or  gavage,  during  the  pregnancy  and  
lactation  on  the  behavior  and  parameters  of  oxidative  stress  on  the  central  
nervous system tissues of female Wistar rats. The female Wistar rats (n=40) were
mated,  and  the  pregnancy  was  confirmed  by  vaginal  swab.  After  the  pregnancy  
was  confirmed,  the  animals  were  randomly  divided  into  4  groups:  water  (free  
access);  water  (gavage);  juice  (free  access);  juice  (gavage).  The  animals  were  
treated with water or juice (free access or gavage). The gavage was done once a
day at a dose of 7μL/g of body weight. On the open field test, we observed that the
grape juice was able to increase the latency time, decrease the time to rearing and
lower the time and the frequency crossing. In the plus maze test, the grape juice
was  able  to  decrease  the  time  spent  in  the  open  arm,  which  suggests  anxiolytic  
characteristics to the juice. On the oxidative stress analyzes, the grape juice was
capable  to  reduce  the  lipid  per  oxidation,  however,  it  was  not  able  to  reduce  
the  protein  oxidation  induced  by  the  damage  provoke  by  the  gavages.  Grape  
juice  increased  non-enzymatic  defenses  (sulfhyidryl  content)  in  the  cerebral  
cortex. The activity of the SOD and CAT enzymes were modulated by grape juice
differently  depending  on  the  tissue  evaluated.  We  observed  that  the  SOD/CAT  
ratio also presented a different behavior in each of the tissues. We conclude that
pregnancy can be an important factor to alter various parameters, on behavioral
or  biochemical  assays.  However,  we  found  that  grape  juice  was  able  to  improve  
some parameters, reducing the stress caused by gavage in brain structures.

Keywords

Anxious, Behavior, Female wistar rats, Pregnancy, Purple grape juice, Neuroprotection, Nervous System, Gavage, Labrusca