Caloric restriction and phycocyanin in the aging process in rats

Abstract

The aging of society has increased significantly and to explain this phenomenon, the theory of aging by free radicals (FR) is one of the most comprehensive and accepted nowadays. Strategies like the caloric restriction and the use of antioxidants may contribute to attenuation of FR and delayed the aging process. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of caloric restriction and phycocyanin in the aging process in rats. Were used 40 male Wistar rats, sub-adults, divided into four groups: (1) control, (2) calorie restriction, (3) phycocyanin, (4) caloric restriction and phycocyanin. The experiment lasted 90 days during which the rats were weighed weekly for analysis of feed efficiency. In the final time, the rats were sacrificed and their cerebral cortex were removed for measurement of lipid peroxidation by TBARS method. Food consumption among groups did not differ, however the results of feed efficiency showed that the treatment applied to groups of calorie restriction plus phycocyanin commited the weight gain of animals. The treatments isolated from calorie restriction and phycocyanin showed TBARS values significantly lower when compared to control, as well as for the calorie restriction group, which obtained lower values than the control group and restriction plus phycocyanin. Already the combined treatment of restriction and phycocyanin showed no significant difference when compared to control group. These results suggest synergistic action of caloric restriction and antioxidant, which may have acted in a pro-oxidant.