title: Chronic consumption of distilled sugarcane spirit induces anxiolytic-like effects in mice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Chronic ethanol consumption is a major public health problem throughout the world. We investigated the anxiolytic-like effects and the possible ever injury induced by the chronic consumption of ethanol or sugarcane spirit in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult mice were exposed to a two-bottle free-choice paradigm for 6 weeks. The mice in Group A (n = 16) had access to sugarcane spirit + distilled water, the mice in Group B (n = 15) had access to ethanol + distilled water, and the mice in Group C (control, n = 14) had access to distilled water + distilled water. The ethanol content in the beverages offered to Groups A and B was 2% for the first week, 5% for the second week and 10% for the remaining four weeks. At the end of the experimental period, the mice were evaluated using the elevated-plus maze and the hole-board test to assess their anxiety-related behaviors. We also determined the serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase levels.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the elevated-plus maze, the time spent in the open arms was increased in the mice exposed to chronic ethanol (32 ± 8 vs. 7 ± 2 s, n = 9) or sugarcane spirit (36 ± 9 vs. 7 ± 2 s, n = 9) compared to the controls. In the hole-board test, the mice exposed to ethanol or sugarcane spirit displayed increases in their head-dipping frequency (16 ± 1 for the control group, 27 ± 2 for the ethanol group, and 31 ± 3 for the sugarcane-spirit group; n = 9 for each group). In addition, the mice exposed to sugarcane spirit displayed an increase in the aspartate aminotransferase / alanine aminotransferase ratio compared to the ethanol group (1.29 ± 0.17 for the control group and 2.67 ± 0.17 for the sugarcane spirit group; n = 8 for each group).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The chronic consumption of sugarcane-spirit produces liver injury and anxiolytic-like effects and the possible liver injury in mice.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Applied Physiology, Veterinary Sciences Department, Center for Agrarian Sciences, Federal University of Paraíba, Areia, PB, Brazil.
authors.forename: Maria Clecia P
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Sena
authors.forename: Fabíola C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.forename: Mirian G S Stiebbe
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Salvadori
authors.forename: Cleyton Charles D
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Carvalho
authors.forename: Liana Clebia S L
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.forename: Valdir A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Braga
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D000434:Alcoholic Beverages; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000523:psychology*; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D031786:Saccharum / Q000737:chemistry*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase