Pyrostegia venusta attenuate the sickness behavior induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice.
OBJECTIVE
Pyrostegia venusta (Ker.) Miers (Bignoniaceae) is native to the Brazilian Cerrado and popularly known as "cipó-de-são-joão." In traditional Brazilian medicine, the Pyrostegia venusta are used as a general tonic as well as a treatment for diarrhea, vitiligo, cough, and common diseases of the respiratory system related to infections, such as bronchitis, flu and cold. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a hydroethanolic extract of flowers of Pyrostegia venusta on sickness behaviors induced by lipopolysaccharide in mice.


METHODS
To evaluate the effects of orally administered Pyrostegia venusta hydroethanolic extract (PvHE) on lipopolysaccharide-induced sickness behaviors, mice were submitted to the forced swim test (FST) and the open field test.


RESULTS
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 μg/kg, i.p.) administration increased the time spent floating in the FST and depressed locomotor activity in the open field. Pretreatment with PvHE at test doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg, p.o. attenuated the behavioral changes induced by LPS in the FST and open field test. This effect was similar to pretreatment with dexamethasone (1 mg/kg), which is a steroidal drug that inhibits immune and inflammatory responses, including cytokine production.


CONCLUSIONS
The extract of Pyrostegia venusta attenuated the depressive-like and exploratory behaviors induced by lipopolysaccharide. Thus, our results supported previous claims of the usefulness of these plants in traditional therapies and suggest that these plants may be useful in the treatment of disorders that induced sickness behavior, such as flu and cold.
Veloso
Clarice C
CC
Laboratory of Physiology, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Alfenas, MG, 37130-000 Alfenas, MG, Brazil.
Bitencourt
Andressa D
AD
Cabral
Layla D M
LD
Franqui
Lidiane S
LS
Dias
Danielle F
DF
dos Santos
Marcelo H
MH
Soncini
Roseli
R
Giusti-Paiva
Alexandre
A
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D029402:Bignoniaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D035264:Flowers / Q000737:chemistry; D055809:Illness Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*
D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D010936:Plant Extracts