Author(s):
Alves, Maria Elizângela Ferreira ; Dutra, Larissa Maria Gomes ; Moura, Renally de Lima ; Silva, Marcelo Sobral da ; Tavares, Josean Fechine ; do Nascimento, Yuri Mangueira ; da Silva, Evandro Ferreira ; da Silva, Marcelo Felipe Rodrigues ; de Araújo, Wydemberg José ; Silva, Fábio Anderson Pereira da ; Ferreira, Valquiría Cardoso da Silva ; Viera, Vanessa Bordin ; de Souza Aquino, Jailane ; Medeiros, Isac Almeida de ; Pintado, Manuela ; Soares, Juliana Késsia Barbosa
Date: 2027
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/59851
Origin: Veritati - Repositório Institucional da Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Subject(s): Metabolomic; Gut-brain axis; Bioactive compounds; Neuroprotection; Oxidative stress
Description
The present study investigated the effects of goat yogurt supplemented with Opuntia ficus-indica (OFI) powder on behavioral parameters, brain oxidative stress, fecal metabolomic and volatilomic profiles, and gut microbiota in young Wistar rats. Thirty male rats were assigned to three groups (n = 10): control (CG), goat yogurt (GY), and goat yogurt supplemented with OFI (CGY), treated orally for 30 days. Behavioral assessments included the open field, elevated plus maze, light-dark box, splash, and forced swim tests. Brain malondialdehyde, protein carbonyls, and glutathione were also evaluated. Fecal metabolites, volatile compounds, and microbiota were analyzed by 1H NMR, GC–MS, and 16S rRNA sequencing. GY improved anxiety- and depressive-like behavioral parameters, with more pronounced effects in CGY. CGY also reduced cerebral lipid and protein oxidation. Metabolomic and volatilomic profiles showed distinct metabolic signatures. OFI supplementation also enriched butyrate-producing bacteria, particularly Subdoligranulum. Overall, goat yogurt enriched with OFI modulated the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
