Web Release Date: July 14,
Cocoa-Enriched Diet Enhances Antioxidant Enzyme Activity and Modulates Lymphocyte Composition in Thymus from Young Rats
and
Department of Physiology and Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona, Av. Joan XXIII s/n, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
Received for review February 19, 2007. Revised manuscript received June 1, 2007. Accepted June 6, 2007.
Abstract:
Cocoa is a rich source of flavonoids, mainly (-)-epicatechin, (+)-catechin, and procyanidins. This article reports the effect of continuous cocoa intake on antioxidant capacity in plasma and tissues, including lymphoid organs and liver, from young rats. Weaned Wistar rats received natural cocoa (4% or 10% food intake) for three weeks, corresponding to their infancy. Flavonoid absorption was confirmed through the quantification of epicatechin metabolites in urine. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and the activity of antioxidant enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase, were examined. Cocoa intake enhanced TAC in all tissues especially in thymus. Moreover, thymus SOD and catalase activities were also dose-dependently increased by cocoa. It was also analyzed whether the enhanced antioxidant system in thymus could influence its cellular composition. An increase in the percentage of thymocytes in advanced development stage was found. In summary, cocoa diet enhances thymus antioxidant defenses and influences thymocyte differentiation.
Keywords: Catalase activity; SOD activity; cocoa; lymphocyte phenotype; thymocyte differentiation
Download the full text: PDF | HTML
