Department of Basic Health Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University Rey Juan Carlos (URJC), 28922 Alcorcón, Spain.
Associated R+D+i Unit to the Institute of Medicinal Chemistry (IQM), Scientific Research Superior Council (CSIC), Calle Juan de la Cierva 3, 28006 Madrid, Spain.
Nutrients. 2023 Dec 25;16(1):65. doi: 10.3390/nu16010065.
Instant cascara (IC) is a sustainable beverage obtained from dried coffee cherry pulp, rich in nutrients and bioactive compounds. The present research aimed to determine the effects of IC on general health and brain-gut axis parameters of healthy female and male rats. Wistar rats were exposed to IC (10 mg/mL) in their drinking water for 3 weeks. Body weight and solid and liquid intakes were monitored as indicators of food safety. Gastrointestinal transit was radiographically evaluated one day (acute) and 3 weeks (chronic) after the start of IC exposure. Locomotor activity, anxiety, and anhedonia of the animals after 3 weeks of treatment was also studied. Overall, compared to water-exposed animals, IC significantly increased food intake in males ( < 0.0001) and liquid intake in females ( < 0.05) without changes in body weight in either case. IC did not significantly modify gastrointestinal motility parameters after its acute or repeated intake and did not cause any significant behavioral alterations in males or females ( > 0.05). In conclusion, repeated intake of IC at the studied concentration did not negatively affect brain-gut axis functions of healthy male and female rats. Anxiety behavior, diarrhea, constipation, abnormal weight modifications, or other typical effects of toxicity were not observed in animals treated with the new powdered beverage, suggesting its food safety under the studied conditions.
即时山茱萸（IC）是一种从干咖啡樱桃果肉中提取的可持续饮料，富含营养物质和生物活性化合物。本研究旨在确定 IC 对健康雌性和雄性大鼠一般健康和脑肠轴参数的影响。Wistar 大鼠在饮用水中暴露于 IC（10mg/mL）3 周。监测体重和固体及液体摄入量作为食品安全的指标。在开始暴露于 IC 后第 1 天（急性）和第 3 周（慢性）进行胃肠道转运的放射学评估。在 3 周治疗后，还研究了动物的运动活动、焦虑和快感缺失。总的来说，与暴露于水中的动物相比，IC 显著增加了雄性动物的食物摄入量（<0.0001）和雌性动物的液体摄入量（<0.05），而两种情况下的体重均无变化。IC 急性或重复摄入后均未显著改变胃肠道运动参数，也未导致雄性或雌性动物出现任何显著的行为改变（>0.05）。总之，在研究浓度下重复摄入 IC 不会对健康雌性和雄性大鼠的脑肠轴功能产生负面影响。在接受新型粉末饮料治疗的动物中，未观察到焦虑行为、腹泻、便秘、体重异常改变或其他毒性的典型影响，提示在研究条件下其具有食品安全性。
