Omega 3 Fatty Acid and Cannabidiol Prolong Lifespan and Ameliorates Brain Ischaemia in Mice Fed Chronic High Fat Diet

Diets these days contain more fats. High fat diet (HFD) is a model of unhealthy eating in experimental animals. It is known to induce inflammatory responses and oxidative stress. Cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive component of Cannbis sativa has been legalized for medicinal use in many countries of the world. Omega 3 fatty acid, commonly found in fish oil is medicinal and necessary for brain development. The antioxidant and neuroprotective functions of CBD and omega 3 have made them relevant in many researches. In this study, 45 mice were used and divided into three groups of 15 animals each: Group 1 (normal feed and water ad libidum);Group 2 (HFD ad libidum);Group 3 (HFD + CBD + Omega 3) for 16 weeks. Thereafter, five animals from each group were selected and their frontal lobes were harvested for histological analyses using H and E staining. The remaining mice were allowed to feed on normal diet and observed till death. At the end, HFD significantly reduced life span (57.4 ± 0.3) when compared to control (78.9 ± 1.6) and HFD + CBD + omega 3 group (74.5 ± 0.8) at p < 0.05. HFD also caused significant brain ischemic damage, neuronophagia and significant perivascular oedema. CBD + Omega 3 induced significant astrocytosis compared to control and HFD group. The immune stimulation by the CBD + Omega 3 could be responsible for tissue survival and longevity by protection from inflammatory and oxidative injuries. Ischaemic tissue death could have been prevented by amelioration of artheroma formation due to HFD. Further studies will be required to ascertain other possible mechanisms behind these findings.

High Fat Diet Alteration of Gut Microbiota Impacts Learning, Memory and Anxiety Response in Mice: Cannabidiol and Omega 3 Possible Remedies

Chronic intake of High Fat Diet (HFD) has the potential of causing a number of metabolic disorders. It is also theorized to be involved in perturbation of gut microbiota. Cannabididol (CBD) and omega 3 are known to possess a number of medicinal usefulness. Their combined use in experimental interventions is quite limited. A total of 15 mice were used for this research divided into three groups of five animals each. Group 1 was administered water and normal chow ad libidum. Group 2 had HFD and water ad libidum. Group 3 had HFD plus CBD (10 mg/kg) and omega 3 (200 mg/kg) all for a total of 12 weeks. They were tested on the elevated plus maze (EPM) and average entry time into the closed arm was recorded. They were also tested on the Y-maze and spontaneous alternations were measured. Thereafter animals were sacrificed and faecal content in the caecum was collected in sterile bottles and cultured for E. coli count. It was found that HFD group at p value E. coli count (2.4 × 106 ± 4.5) compared to group 1 (1.4 × 106 ± 5.6) and group 3 (1.42 × 106 ± 6.3). The findings revealed that HFD enhanced gut E. coli overgrowth which was reduced by CBD and Omega 3. The memory impairment and anxiety induction by HFD was also significantly ameliorated by CBD and omega 3. E. coli known to be implicated in dementia induction was suppressed by the interventions. Possible mechanisms proposed are actions of CBD and omega 3 on CB1, TRVP and 5HT receptors in reducing anxiety and their antioxidant/anti-inflammatory actions in mitigating the neuro-inflammatory effect of HFD and immune hyperstimulation of E. coli via the gutbrain-axis.

Antidiarrheal activity of hexane extract of Citrus limon peel in an experimental animal model

OBJECTIVE： Acute diarrhea is one of the major illnesses that cause death in children, despite clinical interventions and the use of oral rehydration therapy. Thus, there is need to discover other effective, affordable and accessible treatments for this disease. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate the effects of hexane extract of Citrus limon peel （HECLP） on castor oil-induced diarrhea in rats. METHODS： Diarrhea was induced in male albino Wistar rats weighing 100-150 g. The antidiarrheal activity of HECLP at different oral dosages （5, 10 and 20 mg/kg） was investigated by counting the number of wet fecal pellets. Animals were further treated with propranolol, prazosin, nifedipine and atropine to assess the effects of receptor blockers on the activities of the extract. The effects of HECLP on castor oil-induced enteropooling and the intestinal transit time of activated charcoal were also evaluated. RESULTS： Each of the 3 doses of C. limon significantly reduced （P 〈 0.05） the number of wet fecal pellets produced by animals, with 20 mg/kg HECLP producing the highest percentage inhibition （34.2%） Wet fecal pellet inhibition by the standard drug Ioperamide （3 mg/kg p.o.） was 68.4% relative to the negative control. Blockage of 13 adrenergic receptors by propanolol abolished the antidiarrheal effects of HECLP. Intestinal fluid accumulation was inhibited by 68.7% and 78.5% by 20 mg/kg HECLP and Ioperamide respectively. Furthermore, 20 mg/kg HECLP significantly （P 〈 0.05） reduced the percentage intestinal transit time （21.4% ± 1.42%）, relative to the control （34.2% ±4.29%）; atropine （5 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection） significantly （P 〈 0.001） reduced the percentage intestinal transit time to 11.2% ±0.85%. CONCLUSION： These results suggest that C. limon peel possesses antidiarrheal effects through antisecretory and antimotility mechanisms that act through the β adrenergic system.