Publications-Posters

Depression is a major public health problem affecting about 12% of the world population. Drugs exist but they have many side effects. In the last few years, natural substances (e.g. flavonoids) have been tested to cure such disorders. Cocoa polyphenolic extract is a complex compound prepared from non-roasted cocoa beans containing high levels of flavonoids. The antidepressant-like effect of cocoa polyphenolic extract was evaluated using the forced swimming test in rats. Cocoa polyphenolic extract significantly reduced the duration of immobility

Ageing is associated with changes in physiology and morphology; nutritional strategies to decrease morbidity and to prolong life are of high interest. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of lifelong supplementation with an oligofructose-enriched inulin on morphological and biological markers and lifespan in male and female rats. Male and female rats, age 3 months, were randomised into two groups to receive either a diet with 10 % of an oligofructose-enriched inulin (Synergy 1) or a standard

Glycaemic responses to the dextrin NUTRIOSE 6 (Dex) and the MALTISORB maltitol (Mal) have been studied previously but their effects on vigilance and cognitive performances are still not known. The present study assesses dose-related glycaemic responses following Dex administration and the hypothesis that Dex and Mal could modulate the glycaemic response, improve vigilance under stress conditions and improve cognitive performances in rats. The glycaemic responses following Dex and corn syrup GLUCIDEX IT 21 (CoS) solutions at 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0

Numerous studies have indicated that increased vulnerability to oxidative stress may be the main factor involved in functional declines during normal and pathological ageing, and that antioxidant agents, such as polyphenols, may improve or prevent these deficits. We examined whether 1-year administration of a cocoa polyphenolic extract (Acticoa powder), orally delivered at the dose of 24 mg/kg per d between 15 and 27 months of age, affects the onset of age-related cognitive deficits, urinary free dopamine levels and lifespan in

The aging process depends on genetic stability, metabolic control, and resistance to stress; longevity in particular seems related to resistance to stress. Responses to stress anticipate adaptation to an unacceptable disparity between real or imagined personal experience and expectation, including adaptive stress, anxiety, and depression. However, if stress persists, it may lead to chronic diseases, ranging from inflammation and cancer to degenerative diseases. For some time, only remarkable stress was acknowledged to induce immune and vascular alterations, such as infection

The effects of Acticoa powder on prostate carcinogenesis were investigated using the N-methylnitrosourea and testosterone propionate prostate tumor model. Sixty male Wistar-Unilever rats were randomly divided in four groups of 15 rats: one control group not induced but treated with vehicle (not induced+vehicle) and three chemo-induced groups. Two weeks before prostate tumor induction and then throughout the experiment, chemo-induced rats were orally treated with Acticoa powder at 24 (chemo-induced+Acticoa powder24) or 48 (chemo-induced+Acticoa powder48) mg/kg or with vehicle (chemo-induced+vehicle), daily

The anxiolytic- and antidepressant-like effects of Garum Armoricum® (GA), a protein autolysate from the blue ling fish, were studied in male Wistar rats using the conditioned defensive burying (CDB) and the forced swimming (FST) tests, respectively. In the CDB, all doses of GA (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, PO) decreased the global score of anxiety and the latency of the first approach towards the probe after shock, in a similar way to diazepam (DZP) at the dose of 3 mg/kg,

Garum Armoricum® (GA), a compound rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, free amino acids, small peptides, vitamins and minerals, was evaluated on two fear-related assays in rats. GA and diazepam (DZP) increased entries into open arms relative to placebo, as well as percentage of open arm entries in the elevated plus-maze test. In a similar fashion, all drugged groups spent more time inside the open arms and less time inside the enclosed arms. After a two-day period of conditioned avoidance learning

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-malignant enlargement of the prostate that results in obstructive lower urinary tract symptoms. Plant extracts are frequently used to treat BPH rather than therapeutics that can cause severe side effects. ACTICOA() (Ba0rry Callebaut France, Louviers, France) powder (AP) is a cocoa polyphenolic extract, and we have shown in a previous study that oral treatment with AP prevented prostate hyperplasia. This study investigated whether AP could improve established prostate hyperplasia using the same testosterone propionate

Plant extracts are useful in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This study investigates whether ACTICOA (Barry Callebaut France, Louviers, France) powder (AP), a cocoa polyphenolic extract, could prevent prostate hyperplasia induced by testosterone propionate (TP) in rats. Male Wistar-Unilever rats were randomly divided in four groups of 12 rats: one negative control group receiving subcutaneous injections of corn oil and treated with vehicle and three groups injected subcutaneously with TP and treated with the vehicle (positive control) or