title: Pharmacological activity of Guarana (Paullinia cupana Mart.) in laboratory animals.
abstract: Mice that ingested a suspension of guarana (Paullinia cupana, Sapindaceae) in a dose of 0.3 mg/ml showed a significant increase in physical capacity when subjected to a stressful situation such as forced swimming after 100 and 200 days of treatment. Such an effect, however, was not obtained with a concentration of 3.0 mg/ml, nor with the ingestion of a suspension of ginseng 5.0 mg/ml, nor of a solution of caffeine 0.1 mg/ml. Guarana, both after a single (3.0 and 30 mg/kg) or chronic administrations (0.3 mg/ml), was able to partially reverse the amnesic effect of scopolamine as measured through a passive avoidance test in mice and rats, indicating a positive effect on memory acquisition. However, no effect was observed when an active avoidance task was used in rats, even after 20 days of guarana administration. There was also a tendency of rats treated with 0.3 mg/ml of guarana to better maintain the memory of a Lashley III maze path. The animals had the same average lifespan, indicating a low toxicity of guarana, even after 23 months of treatment.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Tecnologia Farmacêutica, Universidade Federal da Paraíba, Brazil.
authors.forename: E B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Espinola
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Dias
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mattei
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Carlini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D008136:Longevity / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D005894:Panax; D005082:Physical Exertion / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012601:Scopolamine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D002110:Caffeine; D012601:Scopolamine