Suplementação alimentar com Spirulina platensis restaura os danos causados pela dieta hipercalórica em corpo cavernoso de ratos Wistar

Abstract

Characterized by its multifactorial nature, erectile dysfunction (ED) is considered a predominantly vascular disorder, defined as a constant inability to achieve and/or maintain a penile erection for a satisfactory sexual intercourse, having an increase in body adiposity as a development factor. Recently, food supplementation with Spirulina platensis, a blue-green alga with potent antioxidant activity, has been shown to prevent damage in the erectile function. Thus, S. platensis treatment was evaluated as a therapeutic alternative to prevent ED in rats submithed to hypercaloric diet. The experimental procedures were approved by the UFPB Committee on Ethics in Animal Use (6061090318). The rats were divided into groups; fed a standard diet (318.0 kcal/100g), which received saline solution (DP), a group fed a hypercaloric diet (417.0 kcal/100g), which received saline solution (DHC) (DHC + SP25), 50 (DHC + SP50) and 100 mg/kg (DHC + SP100) and group fed the hypercaloric diet and later fed with standard diet (DHC + DP). Biochemical parameters, erectile function (in vivo), functional mechanisms involved in changes in the contractile and relaxing reactivity of the cavernous body (in vitro), and oxidative stress/antioxidant tissue defense relationships were analyzed. Food supplementation with S. platensis at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg was effective in reducing the levels of triglycerides in rats consuming the high calorie diet. Additionally, a reduction in number and increase in latency to initiate penile erection were observed in rats consuming the hypercaloric diet. However, these effects were restored by food supplementation with algae at all doses tested, as well as in the group fed a hypercaloric diet and later with a standard diet. Regarding cavernous reactivity, the contractile efficacy to phenylephrine (FEN) (drug-mechanical coupling) was potentiated 61.5% in the DHC group. Similarly, the consumption of the hypercaloric diet promoted a reduction of 73.6% of the acetylcholine-induced relaxing efficacy (ACh), thus evidencing the deleterious effects of dietary intake on cavernous reactivity, being directly associated with the negative modulation of the oxidic pathways nitric oxide (NO) and prostanoids. In contrast, S. platensis increased NO bioavailability, reduced the release of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and potentiated the acetylcholine (ACh) relaxing effect, restoring damage to contractile reactivity and cavernous relaxation. Cavernous total antioxidant capacity (CAT) was increased, and malondialdehyde levels (MDA) reduced by food supplementation with algae at dose of 50 mg/kg in rats in the DHC group, thus restoring oxidative damage correlated to consumption of the hypercaloric diet. Thus, dietary supplementation with S. platensis restores damage to the corpus cavernosum, resulting from the consumption of the hypercaloric diet, thus emerging as a promising therapeutic alternative for the treatment of erectile dysfunction caused by increased body adiposity.