Treatment with the essential amino acid L-tryptophan reduces masticatory impairments in experimental cerebral palsy

ABSTRACT

Purpose Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often exhibit difficulties in feeding resulting from deficits in chewing. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of L-tryptophan (TRI) to reduce deficits in chewing in rats subjected to an experimental model of CP.

Methods A total of 80 Wistar albino rats were used. Pups were randomly assigned to 4 experimental groups: Control Saline, Control TRI, CP Saline, and CP TRI groups. The experimental model of CP was based on the combination of perinatal anoxia associated with postnatal sensorimotor restriction of the hind limbs. TRI was administered subcutaneously during the lactation period. Anatomical and behavioral parameters were evaluated during maturation, including body weight gain, food intake, chewing movements, relative weight and the distribution of the types of masseter muscle fibers.

Results The induction of CP limited body weight gain, decreased food intake and led to impairment in the morphological and functional parameters of chewing. Moreover, for a comparable amount of food ingested, CP TRI animals grew the most. In addition, supplementation with TRI improved the number of chewing movements, and increased the weight and proportion of type IIB fibers of the masseter in rats subjected to CP.

Conclusion These results demonstrate that experimental CP impaired the development of mastication and that TRI supplementation increased masticatory maturation in animals subjected to CP.

KEYWORDS:

• Cerebral Palsy
• Tryptophan
• feeding and Eating disorders
• chewing
• masseter muscle
• Nutritional Sciences
• serotonin
• rats

Acknowledgments

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPQ).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPQ).

Notes on contributors

Diego Cabral Lacerda

Diego Cabral Lacerda Graduated in Physiotherapy (Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE, Brazil); Master degree in Physiotherapy (Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE, Brazil) and PhD in Nutrition (Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE, Brazil).

Raul Manhães-de-Castro

Raul Manhães-de-Castro Graduated in Medicine (Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE, Brazil); Master degree in Nutrition (Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE, Brazil) and PhD in Université Pierre et Marie Curie, LISE/CNRS, France.

Henrique José Cavalcanti Bezerra Gouveia

Henrique José Cavalcanti Bezerra Gouveia Graduated in Nutrition (Faculdade dos Guararapes, Brazil) and Master degree in Nutrition (Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE, Brazil).

Yves Tourneur

Yves Tourneur Graduated in Engineering (L'Ecole Centrale de Lyon, France) and PhD in Engineering (Lyon, France).

Barbara Juacy Costa de Santana

Barbara Juacy Costa de Santana Graduated in Nutrition (Universidade Salgado de Oliveira, Brazil) and Master degree in Neuropsyquiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Brazil).

Renata Emmanuele Assunção Santos

Renata Emmanuele Assunção Santos Graduated in Nutrition (Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE - CAV, Brazil) and Master degree in Nutrition, Physical Activity and Phenotypic Plasticity (Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE CAV, Brazil).

Jacques Olivier-Coq

Jacques Olivier-Coq Graduated in Cellular Biology & Physiology (University of Bordeaux, France); Master degree in Neuroscience (Aix-Marseille Université, France); PhD in Neuroscience (Aix-Marseille Université, France) and Postdoc in Neuroscience (UC San Francisco, USA).

Kelli Nogueira Ferraz-Pereira

Kelli Nogueira Ferraz-Pereira Graduated in Speech Therapy (Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil); Master degree in Neuropsyquiatry and Behavioral Sciences (Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil) and PhD in Nutrition (Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil).

Ana Elisa Toscano

Ana Elisa Toscano Graduated in Physiotherapy (Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil), Master degree in Nutrition (Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil) and PhD in Nutrition (Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil and Université de Technologie de Compiègne, France).