Preventive Antioxidant Effects of Cocoa Polyphenolic Extract on Free Radical Production and Cognitive Performances after Heat Exposure in Wistar Rats

Abstract

The preventive effects of ACTICOA powder (AP), a cocoa polyphenolic extract, on free radicals produced by leucocytes in rats after heat exposure (HE) and its protective effects on subsequent cognitive impairments were assessed. AP or vitamin E, the antioxidant reference, was orally administered to rats for 14 d before HE at 40 degrees C temperature during 2 h. The day after HE, free radical production by leucocytes in rats treated with AP or vitamin E was significantly reduced as compared to control. Unlike controls, AP- and vitamin E-treated rats discriminated between active lever and inactive levers in a light extinction paradigm. In the Morris water maze, escape latencies before reaching the hidden platform by AP- and vitamin E-treated rats decreased throughout testing. The daily oral administration of AP or vitamin E protected rats from cognitive impairments after HE by counteracting the overproduction of free radicals.

Cocoa polyphenols attenuate hydrogen peroxide-induced inhibition of gap-junction intercellular communication by blocking phosphorylation of connexin 43 via the MEK/ERK signaling pathway☆

“…Major polyphenol compounds found in CPE are the epicatechin oligomer class, namely, procyanidins. It was reported that procyanidins comprise about 88% of ACTICOA powder, a cocoa polyphenolic extract [17]. Several recent studies have shown that CPE suppressed the proliferation of cancer cells and various biomarkers of tumorigenesis in both cell culture and animal models [4,5,18].…”

Chocolate Consumption is Associated with a Lower Risk of Cognitive Decline

“…One study investigated the short-term effect of a cocoa polyphenolic extract, Acticoa powder, on free radicals produced by leucocytes after heat exposure and the protective effects on subsequent cognitive impairments. The authors concluded that 14-days oral administration of Acticoa powder could protect heat-exposed rats from cognitive impairment, and suggested that the improved cognitive outcomes may have been consequence of preservation of brain function as a result of reduced inflammatory aggression, or enhanced cerebral plasticity [27]. Another study addressed the effects of long-term (12 months) oral supplementation of the same polyphenolic extract, Acticoa powder, on cognitive functions in aged rats, showing improved cognitive performance in terms of spatial memory and short-and long-term learning.…”

Preventive Effects of ACTICOA Powder, a Cocoa Polyphenolic Extract, on Experimentally Induced Prostate Hyperplasia in Wistar-Unilever Rats

“…These doses were selected from previous dose-response studies. 34,35 Treatments with AP or vehicle started 14 days prior to the induction of prostate hyperplasia and were given daily by oral gavage according to rat BW until the end of the study from Day 1 to Day 35. AP was dissolved in the vehicle, spring water, each day before administration to the animals.…”