title: Repeated administration of an aqueous spray-dried extract of the leaves of Passiflora alata Curtis (Passifloraceae) inhibits body weight gain without altering mice behavior.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Passiflora alata is a Southern American species that constitutes many traditional remedies as well as phytomedicines used for sedative and anxiolytic purposes in Brazil. However studies on repeated treatment effects are scarce.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate behavioral, physiological and biochemical effects of the repeated treatment with an aqueous spray-dried extract of Passiflora alata leaves containing 2.5% (w/v) of flavonoids (PA) in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male adult CF1 mice were treated (p.o.) for 14 days with PA (2.5; 25 or 250 mg/kg). The feeding behavior was evaluated at the beginning (1h after the first administration) and at the end of the treatment (15th day). The body weight gain and food consumption were monitored along the days. On day 15 mice were evaluated on plus maze, spontaneous locomotor activity, catalepsy and barbiturate sleeping time tests. Serum glucose, lipids, ALT and AST enzymes were determined. Liver, kidney, perirenal fat, epididymal and peritoneal fat were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The repeated treatment with the highest dose tested (250 mg/kg) did not alter the mice behavior on open field, elevated plus maze, catalepsy and barbiturate sleeping time tests. Repeated administration of PA 250 decreased mice feeding behavior and weight gain. PA 25 and PA 250 reduced mice relative liver weight and caused mild hepatic hydropic degeneration as well as a decrease in alanine aminotransferase (ALT) serum level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that Passiflora alata does not present central cumulative effects and point to the needs of further studies searching for its hepatotoxicity as well as potential anorexigenic.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Av. Ipiranga, 2752, Porto Alegre 90610-000, Brazil.
authors.forename: Andressa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Braga
authors.forename: Ana Cristina
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Stein
authors.forename: Eveline
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dischkaln Stolz
authors.forename: Eliane
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dallegrave
authors.forename: Andréia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buffon
authors.forename: Jean-Claude
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: do Rego
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gosmann
authors.forename: Alice
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fialho Viana
authors.forename: Stela Maris
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kuze Rates
mesh_terms: D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D021461:Animals, Outbred Strains; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases / Q000097:blood / Q000187:drug effects; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D029598:Passiflora / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D010936:Plant Extracts; D001219:Aspartate Aminotransferases; D000410:Alanine Transaminase