What the experiment actually studied
Prado-Fernández and colleagues studied an ethanolic leaf extract and a fraction designated F10 containing flavonoid compounds. The preparations were administered before lipopolysaccharide, or LPS, which induces an inflammatory reaction in the animal model. Different parts of the experiment involved mice and rats. This system assesses the response to a defined laboratory stimulus. [Prado-Fernández et al. 2024]
Measurements in brain tissue included transcripts for c-fos, CD14 and the γ2 subunit of the GABAₐ receptor. Locomotor activity and hippocampal theta oscillations were also recorded. Following administration of the F10 fraction, the LPS-induced changes in some parameters were weaker. The result applies to the indicators studied and the observation period. [Prado-Fernández et al. 2024]
Interpreting the brain-related result
The authors observed fluorescence in brain sections after administration of the F10 fraction and interpreted it as evidence that its components had reached the tissue. However, the method does not quantitatively measure the concentration of a specifically identified substance in the brain. A reduction in receptor mRNA is also not a direct measurement of inhibition of its activity. [Prado-Fernández et al. 2024]
The study points towards further mechanistic research. It does not cover clinical trials, treatment of neurological disorders in humans or hallucinogenic effects. Observations of changes in EEG and inflammatory markers in a rodent experiment do not allow such properties to be attributed to the plant when consumed by humans. [Prado-Fernández et al. 2024]
Based on scientific publications. The scope of the experiments is stated alongside the results.
Pereskia sacharosa Griseb. (Cactaceae) Prevents Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammation in Rodents via Down-Regulating TLR4/CD14 Pathway and GABAA γ2 Activity
Prado-Fernández M. F., Magdaleno-Madrigal V. M., Cabañas-García E., Mucio-Ramírez S., Almazán-Alvarado S., Pérez-Molphe-Balch E., Gómez-Aguirre Y. A., Sánchez-Jaramillo E., Pereskia sacharosa Griseb. (Cactaceae) Prevents Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammation in Rodents via Down-Regulating TLR4/CD14 Pathway and GABAA γ2 Activity, Current Issues in Molecular Biology, 2024, 46(7):6885-6902, doi: 10.3390/cimb46070411
The study of Pereskia sacharosa extract and flavonoid fraction includes mice and rats in an LPS-induced inflammation model. It presents molecular results, behaviour and EEG recordings under preclinical conditions.