Nutritional consumption of phenolic compounds-rich clarified açaí juice (Euterpe oleracea) elicits anxiolytic and antidepressant effects during adolescence in rats

Açaí fruit is consumed daily by Amazonian populations and, owing to its high content of phenolic compounds, fibers, and lipids, has gained worldwide popularity as a functional food. Clarification technology enables the removal of fibers and lipids while retaining the bioactive constituents, thereby allowing a more precise interpretation of their biological effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the behavioral, neurochemical, and oxidative repercussions of the oral and nutritional administration of clarified açaí during adolescence in animals. Then, male Wistar rats received clarified açaí juice (CAJ) by voluntary oral self-administration throughout adolescence (PND 34-43). Twenty-four hours after the final intake, animals underwent behavioral testing (open field, elevated plus maze, Y-maze, forced swim), followed by collection of prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, and amygdala for biochemical assays. Our results demonstrated that oral exposure to nutritional doses of açaí, as a clarified beverage, exhibited anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, but did not modify motor or cognitive functions. These behavioral effects were associated with an increased expression of antioxidant enzymes in the prefrontal cortex and ventral hippocampus, as well as reduction in oxidative status in amygdala. In the prefrontal cortex, monoamines levels, such as norepinephrine and serotonin, were not altered following exposure to nutritional açaí. These findings suggest that phenolic compounds, present at high concentrations in clarified açaí and administered at nutritional doses during adolescence, exert anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, which antioxidant mechanisms in brain regions critical for emotional regulation may contribute to these behavioral outcomes.