Perfil glicêmico, expressão de marcadores inflamatórios e metabolismo hepático de camundongos alimentados com bebida láctea fermentada adicionada de óleo essencial de Syzygium aromaticum

Abstract

Brazil is among the main producers of Essential Oils (EOs). Among the plants used is the Syzygium aromaticum (clove) which presents besides several pharmacological functions, described in the literature, the potential to be used as food preservative. Previous studies have shown by in vivo test that the Syzygium aromaticum EO concentration of 200 mg/kg showed no histopathological changes in liver, kidney, brain, lung, heart, spleen. Based on the evidence presented in this non-toxicity study of Syzygium aromaticum EO, we decided to evaluate in vivo the ability of a previously developed fermented milk drink, tested only in vitro, in which the standard chemical preservative, potassium sorbate, was replaced by clove EO, to be a functional food. For this, 24 male Swiss mice were divided into three groups by completely randomized design and submitted to behavioral analysis, insulin sensitivity test (IST) and glucose tolerance test (GTT). We also evaluated the glucose decay constant rate (Kitt), liver morphology and histopathology and we investigated the proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin 6 (IL6), interleukin 1 beta (IL1-) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF) and anti-inflammatory, interleukin 10 (IL- 10), from the liver through the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), after administering daily 2 ml of the fermented milk drink with 2 ul/ml clove essential oil for 30 days. The group that received the fermented milk drink with clove essential oil showed a lower glycemic level in GTT, a greater sensitivity to insulin and a greater Kitt, in relation to the other groups. The animals belonging to the three groups had no clinical or behavioral changes. The biochemical parameters, histopathological analysis of the liver and expression of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines did not differ between the experimental groups with the control group. These results demonstrate that the fermented milk drink with clove essential oil at the concentration of 2 l/ml did not induce the toxicity of the animals, since no changes were found that indicated toxicity in the mice during the experimental period. In this way this drink has functional potential to be added to the diet of healthy individuals, and clove essential oil can function as a substitute for conventional chemical preservatives and reduce glycaemia.