Early weaning (EW) leads to overweight, visceral obesity, hyperleptinemia, and
insulin resistance in adulthood. Treatment with Ilex
paraguariensis (yerba mate) improves obesity and insulin resistance
in these animals. Here, we evaluated the effects of chronic treatment with yerba
mate on the redox balance and liver morphology of overweight early-weaned rats.
To induce EW, we wrapped the dams with bandages to interrupt milk access during
the last 3 days of lactation. Control pups (C) had free access to maternal milk
for the full 21 days of lactation. On postnatal day (PN) 150, EW offspring were
subdivided into the EW+YM group, which received the aqueous extract of yerba
mate (1 g/kg bw by gavage once a day for 30 days) and the EW group, which
received water by gavage for the same period. All rats were euthanized on PN180.
The EW group showed higher bound carbonyl (a marker of total protein oxidation),
higher TBARS levels (a marker of lipid peroxidation), and lower superoxide
dismutase (SOD) activity in liver tissue than the C group, as well as higher
triglyceride content and microsteatosis. In plasma, the EW offspring showed
higher TBARS levels. One month of yerba mate treatment normalized these
parameters. Thus, we have shown evidence that yerba mate improved antioxidant
defenses and mitigated liver dysfunction in overweight adult rats that were
weaned prematurely.