Pereskia aculeata: biological analysis on wistar rats

Abstract

Pereskia aculeata Mill., a species of the family Cactaceous, popularly known in Brazil as ora-pro-nobis, has high protein, vitamin and mineral contents. High essential amino acid concentrations should be underscored, suggesting a better evaluation of the fractions. Current study quantifies amino acid content and the chemical score (CS) of protein amino acids, determining in vivo digestibility, protein efficiency ratio (PER) and net protein ratio (NPR) of P. aculeata. Plant material was collected, washed, placed in an oven at 60 °C, ground and stored in a freezer for chemical analysis. Diets that maintain isoproteic and isocaloric characteristics were prepared for the bioassay, namely: casein (no protein) and Pereskia aculeata leaves-based flour. Eighteen male albino Wistar rats, divided into three experimental groups of 6 animals each, were used to evaluate protein quality and bioavailability of micronutrients. Pereskia aculeata flour provided as a single source is inadequate for growth, although it is relevant for maintaining protein metabolism indicated by net protein ratio (2.87). It is actually a good quality protein source due to few limiting essential amino acids, and it meets the diet requirements for humans.Keywords: Ora-pro-nobis; protein quality; digestibility; PER; NPR; PDCAAS.Practical Application: Pereskia aculeata when provided as a single source is not adequate for proper growth, however it is important the adequacy of maintaining the protein metabolism indicated by net protein ratio. During the experiment, animals fed on Pereskia aculeata gained less weight when compared with animals fed on casein, mean weekly feed consumption was also low. And it is a good protein source good quality due to present few limiting essential amino acids and thus are able to meet the needs for the diet in humans.

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

“…The average body weight showed no statistical difference between groups (Figure 2), differing from other studies with Wistar rats (20,21) , in which the cacti reduced this physiological parameter. Rats fed a hypercaloric diet with 5 and 10% Pereskia grandifolia flour reduced body weight (3) .…”

“…The group in which the Pereskia grandifolia juice (HPg) was administered had a lower total weight gain than the other groups of cacti (HPa and HPb) which were equal to each other and the H group. The reduction in weight gain was observed in rats that ingested Pereskia aculeata flour (20,21) .…”

Phytochemical profile and biological activities of 'Ora-pro-nobis' leaves (Pereskia aculeata Miller), an underexploited superfood from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

“…In spite of the aforementioned studies evidencing the nutritional and ethnopharmacological relevance of ora-pro-nobis leaves, information on their phytochemical constitution remains limited. The majority of the papers that performed chemical evaluation contemplated the amino acids and phytosterol profiles, also focusing on its essential oil (Pinto & Scio, 2014;Pinto, Machado, et al, 2015;Souza et al, 2016;Zem, Helm, Henriques, Cabrini, & Zuffellato-Ribas, 2017). A few works have indicated that phenolic compounds and carotenoids are the major antioxidant constituents of P. aculeata leaves (Agostini-Costa, Wondraceck, Rocha, & Silva, 2012;Pinto et al, 2012;Pinto, Duque, et al, 2015), however, to our best knowledge, an advanced characterization of its phenolic constitution is lacking.…”

Agronomic Cultivation, Chemical Composition, Functional Activities and Applications of Pereskia Species – A Mini Review

“…Rocha et al (2008) developed a pasta containing 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 % of orapro-nobis flour, increasing the protein, fibre and mineral contents when compared the product with the control pasta. Zem et al (2017) produced flour of P. aculeata and investigated its effects on a diet applied in rats. They concluded that it might not be adequate to warrant satisfactory growth levels of the animals when provided in the diet a single protein source (P. aculeate flour).…”