Effect of Chronic Treatment with Grape Juice during Pregnancy and Nursing in Central Nervous System of Female Wistar Rats

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.