Name: MATHEUS LOUREIRO DAS NEVES
Publication date: 09/02/2022
Advisor:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| LÍVIA CARLA DE MELO RODRIGUES | Advisor * |
Examining board:
| Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| CARMEM LUIZA SARTORIO | Internal Examiner * |
| LÍVIA CARLA DE MELO RODRIGUES | Advisor * |
Summary: Alcohol is the most consumed drug in the world and, in the social circles of adolescents and young people, its most consolidated form of consumption is binge. The consumption of alcohol in binge is characterized by its episodic ingestion, in high amounts and in a short period of time. This form of consumption contributes to possible neurotoxic reactions, which can cause cognitive deficits. Furthermore, this form of ethanol consumption is capable of causing liver damage related to oxidative stress and activation of inflammatory mechanisms in this organ. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been presented as a promising drug in the treatment and reversal of effects caused by various drugs of abuse, including alcohol. In this study, adolescent male Wistar rats were divided into six groups (SAL/H2O, NAC/H2O, SAL/EtOH 3 g/kg, NAC/EtOH 3 g/kg, SAL/EtOH 6 g/kg e NAC/EtOH 6 g/kg) and were subjected to a regimen in chronic binge, with three days of treatment per week over four weeks. The possible effects of previous NAC administration on short- and long-term memory damage and liver damage caused by binge drinking during adolescence were observed, through a behavioral assessment using the Object Recognition Test (TRO) and Object Location (TLO), and through biochemical in the CPF, HPC and EST. Liver function was assessed through quantification of serum TGO and TGP and through histological analyses of liver tissue. The results showed that NAC prevented the damage that alcohol caused in short- and long-term recognition and location memory, despite this, the chronic binge drinking regimen seems not to have provoked oxidative stress in the brain regions studied. NAC also protected liver function against the damage that alcohol caused in both doses. Thus, the results of this study can reinforce the possible protective effects of NAC on cognitive function and liver damage, helping to consolidate knowledge of the potential of this drug as an adjuvant in the treatment of alcohol abuse.
