The pequi pulp oil (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.) provides protection against aging-related anemia, inflammation and oxidative stress in Swiss mice, especially in females

Abstract Continued exposure to reactive oxygen species and inflammation are the rationale behind aging theories and associated diseases. Scientific evidence corroborates the ethnomedicinal use of the oil of pequi (Caryocar brasiliense Camb.), a typical Brazilian Cerrado fruit, against oxidative damage to biomolecules and inflammation. We aimed to investigate in vivo the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of pequi oil on hemogram and DNA damage in healthy young adult and older middle-aged Swiss mice of both genders. Animals, aged 6-7 and 11-12 months, were orally treated for 15 days with pequi oil at 30 mg/day. Blood samples were used for hemogram and comet assay, and bone marrow for micronucleus test. Female controls of 11-12 months had significantly lower haemoglobin and hematocrit than those of 6-7 months. Treatment with pequi oil improved this state, removing the differences. Pequi oil had no genotoxic or clastogenic effects and significantly increased lymphocytes and decreased neutrophils+monocytes in females of 11-12 months, removing the significant differences observed between controls of 6-7 and 11-12 months. The results suggest that dietary supplementation with pequi oil could protect against anemia, inflammation and oxidative stress related to aging, helping to prevent aging-related chronic degenerative diseases, mainly for females.

摘要 活性氧持续暴露与炎症反应，是衰老理论及相关疾病的核心发病机制依据。已有科学证据佐证，巴西塞拉多典型果实的皮基油（pequi oil，学名*Caryocar brasiliense Camb.*）具有对抗生物分子氧化损伤与炎症的传统药用价值。本研究旨在通过体内实验，探究皮基油对健康雌雄青年成年（6~7月龄）及中老年（11~12月龄）瑞士小鼠血常规与DNA损伤的抗氧化及抗炎作用。实验动物分为6~7月龄与11~12月龄两组，每日经口给予30 mg皮基油，连续给药15天。采集血液样本用于血常规检测与彗星实验（comet assay），采集骨髓样本用于微核试验（micronucleus test）。11~12月龄的雌性对照组小鼠的血红蛋白与红细胞压积显著低于6~7月龄雌性对照组小鼠；皮基油给药可改善该状态，消除两组间的差异。皮基油未表现出遗传毒性或致染色体断裂效应；在11~12月龄雌性小鼠中，皮基油可显著提升淋巴细胞比例，同时降低中性粒细胞与单核细胞总和，消除6~7月龄与11~12月龄对照组小鼠间的显著差异。研究结果表明，膳食补充皮基油可对抗衰老相关贫血、炎症反应与氧化应激，有助于预防衰老相关慢性退行性疾病，尤其对雌性群体效果显著。