Juice from leaves of cacti of the genus Pereskia: effect on the physiological parameters of Wistar rats

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate whether the juice from the leaves of cacti of three species of the genus Pereskia promotes changes in the physiological parameters of Wistar rats. The study was divided into stage 1 (obesity induction with a hypercaloric diet, monosodium glutamate, and sucrose solution), and stage 2 (use of cactus juice). The data of body weight, Body Mass and Lee Indexes, feed intake, adipose tissue mass, and Visceral and Epididymal Fat Indexes were compared by the Tukey test at 5%. Monosodium glutamate and sucrose in association with the hypercaloric diet did not increase adipose tissues. No statistical difference was found between the means of body weight, Body Mass Index and Lee Index, liver weight, and Hepatosomatic Index. Pereskia grandifolia juice promoted a lower total weight gain due to the low feed intake. Pereskia aculeata juice increased the visceral adipose tissue mass. Thus, the Pereskia grandifolia juice presented a better effect on weight gain. These cacti are rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds that can improve food quality, and prevent chronic non-communicable diseases.

Morphometric parameters and adipose tissue mass of rats fed with cactaceae flour

“…The groups that received Pereskia grandifolia (HP) and Agave tequilana (HA) flours did not differ (p > 0.05) from the control group (C) in terms of total weight gain, suggesting that the bioactive compounds present in these flours made the weight gain similar to that of animals that received the commercial feed in pellet form. Rats ingesting a hypercaloric cafeteria diet plus 5 and 10% Pereskia grandifolia flour decreased final body weight (Salinas, Ogura, & Soffchi, 2001), in another study with rats ingesting a hypercaloric diet and Pereskia cactaceae juice, the group that received Pereskia grandifolia juice showed less weight gain (Brasil, Val, Ramos, & Almeida, 2020). C57BL/6 mice fed a high-fat diet supplemented with 0.3 and 0.6% of Opuntia ficus-indica extract had a lower body weight than those that ate only the high-fat diet (Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al, 2015).…”