behavior | Acta Medica Marisiensis

Beneficial effects of metformin on haloperidol-induced motor deficits in rats. A behavioral assessment

George Jîtcă^1,2, Zsolt Gáll¹, Camil E Vari1, Bianca E Ősz¹, Amelia Tero-Vescan³, Alexandra Groșan¹, Maria T. Dogaru¹

1. Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, Romania
2. Doctoral School of Medicine and Pharmacy, I.O.S.U.D., George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, Romania
3. Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Targu Mures, Romania

DOI: 10.2478/amma-2021-0017

Objective: One of the most common side effects of haloperidol is the extrapyramidal syndrome, resulting from inhibition of nigrostriatal dopaminergic circuits and mitochondrial dysfunction due to structural similarities to pyridinium derivative, MPP+ that induce oxidative stress. In exchange, the use of metformin appears to enhance neurogenesis, energy metabolism, and oxidative status, so these properties can be speculated in the context of drug-induced pseudoparkinsonism by haloperidol.
Methods: To assess motor coordination and activity, rodents were divided into four groups: CTR (n = 10) – animals that received distilled water, METF (n = 10) – animals that received metformin 500 mg / kgbw, HAL (n = 10) – animals that received haloperidol 2mg / kgbw, HALMETF (n = 10) – haloperidol 2mg / kgbw and metformin 500 mg / kgbw. The treatment was administered for 34 days at the same time by gastric gavage, during which time behavioral tests, rotarod (days 7, 14, 21, 28), catalepsy (day 30), open field (day 32) and novel object recognition (day 34) were performed.
Results: The monitored parameters, showed significant differences between the groups of interest (HAL and HALMETF respectively), so that the administration of metformin at the beginning of treatment reduces the cataleptic behavior. The HALMETF group shows an attenuation of the motor deficit during the rotarod test and the freezing period from the Open Field test, is diminished.
Conclusions: Metformin treatment has a beneficial effect in haloperidol-treated rats, demonstrated by decreased cataleptic behavior, improved motor performance and reduced haloperidol-induced anxiety behavior.

Eating Behaviour and Food Preferences of Tîrgu Mures High School Students

Maria Salcudean¹, Victoria Rus¹, Florina Ruta¹, Catalin Moise Dogar², Iustinian Simion¹, Levente Nemes¹

1. Department of Community Nutrition and Food Hygiene, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tirgu Mures, Romania
2. Department of Information and Public Relations, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Tirgu Mures, Romania

DOI: 10.2478/amma-2018-0014

Introduction. Due to a busy and exhausting urban lifestyle parents do not always have the necessary time to pay sufficient attention to the quality of the dietary habits of their children.
Objective. Starting from the premise that teenagers have insufficient information about healthy eating, the present study aimed to highlight eating behaviours and nutrition knowledge deficits in a group of 427 high school students from Tîrgu Mures.
Methods. An observational study based on lifestyle and food frequency consumption was conducted. In 2017, students in fifteen classes from several High School Institutions from Targu Mures, Romania, were asked to complete a questionnaire with questions relating to the current state of health, lifestyle characteristics, anthropometric indicators, frequency of daily meal consumption, significance and intake of food additives, leisure activities performed and also teenagers’ preferences for food products.
Results. The average age of the respondents was 16.1 years old, 72.6% were boys, and 82% lived in the city. 43.6% of respondents stated that food is a necessity, while 22% asserted that food characterizes a pleasure for them. Concerning the calorific value of foods, 32.8% stated that they have no interest in the calorie content of different food products while only 26%, mainly girls, took notice of these. 31.10% of respondents indicated that they include the recommended amount of vegetables in their daily diet, 22% prefer to eat preserved foods while increased consumption of sweets was observed in 39.80%. 55.50% of respondents ate breakfast on a regular basis, and 37% read food labels.
Conclusions. The results emphasize the necessity to develop more effective educational programs designed to create necessary background information for a young generation, change adolescent dietary behaviours for the better, and thus prevent dietary related diseases.