Browsing by Author "Cadena, Marilia Ribeiro Sales"

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    Folic acid reduces the ethanol-induced morphological and behavioral defects in embryonic and larval zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD)
    (Elsevier, 2020-09) Caden, Pabyton Gonçalves; Cadena, Marilia Ribeiro Sales; Sarmah, Swapnalee; Marrs, James A.; Biology, School of Science
    The objective of this work was to determine whether folic acid (FA) reduces the embryonic ethanol (EtOH) exposure induced behavioral and morphological defects in our zebrafish fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) model. Teratogenic effects, mortality, the excitatory light-dark locomotion (ELD), sleep (SL), thigmotaxis (TH), touch sensitivity (TS), and optomotor response (OMR) tests were evaluated in larvae (6–7 days post-fertilization) using four treatment conditions: Untreated, FA, EtOH and EtOH+FA. FA reduced morphological defects on heart, eyes and swim bladder inflation seen in EtOH exposed fish. The larvae were more active in the dark than in light conditions, and EtOH reduced the swimming activity in the ELD test. EtOH affected the sleep pattern, inducing several arousal periods and increasing inactivity in zebrafish. FA reduces these toxic effects and produced more consistent inactivity during the night, reducing the arousal periods. FA also prevented the EtOH-induced defects in thigmotaxis and optomotor response of the larvae. We conclude that in this FASD model, EtOH exposure produced several teratogenic and behavioral defects, FA reduced, but did not totally prevent, these defects. Understanding of EtOH-induced behavioral defects could help to identify new therapeutic or prevention strategies for FASD.
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    Protective effects of quercetin, polydatin, and folic acid and their mixtures in a zebrafish (Danio rerio) fetal alcohol spectrum disorder model
    (Elsevier, 2020) Cadena, Pabyton Gonçalves; Cadena, Marilia Ribeiro Sales; Sarmah, Swapnalee; Marrs, James A.; Biology, School of Science
    Protective effects of quercetin (QUE), polydatin (POL), and folic acid (FA) and their mixtures were tested using zebrafish to model fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in this study. Zebrafish embryos were exposed to 150 mM ethanol for 6 or 22 h and co-treated with QUE, POL, FA, and their mixtures (37.5 – 100.0 μM). Epiboly progression, teratogenic effects, and behavior were evaluated. Ethanol exposure reduced epiboly, and FA and QUE protected against these ethanol-induced defects. POL did not reduce epiboly defects. The mixture QUE+FA showed a possible antagonistic effect. The observed teratogenic effects were similar in all ethanol exposed groups. QUE, FA and QUE+POL reduced the percentage of affected animals, but treatments did not eliminate teratogenic effects. Behavioral measurements were divided into small (between 4 and 8 mm/s) and high swimming activity (> 8 mm/s). All experimental groups displayed a reduction in small swimming activity as compared to control and ethanol groups when exposed to bright light. Additionally, larvae exposed to ethanol were more inhibited than control, not showing a habituation period (after 60 min of experiment) in high swimming activity. Chemical treatments like QUE and POL reduced behavioral defects induced by ethanol exposure. In conclusion, this study presents new evidence that QUE, POL, FA and their mixtures partially protected epiboly, teratogenic, and behavioral defects induced by ethanol exposure. QUE, FA and QUE+POL were more effective in reducing these defects than the other studied compounds and mixtures.