FRESHWATER PRAWN MACROBRACHIUM BORELLII: A NON-CONVENTIONAL PROTEIN SOURCE WITH POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR BRAIN HEALTH IN METABOLIC SYNDROME

Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) is associated with cognitive decline and a higher risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, finding nutritional strategies to protect brain health in this setting is highly important. We examined the potential neuroprotective effects of a protein extract, rich in functional amino acids and derived from the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium borellii, in a rat model of MetS. Male Wistar rats were fed for 90 days with a standard rodent diet, a high-sucrose diet (HSD), or a HSD in which 50% of the protein source was replaced with the prawn protein extract (HSD+CrP). Cognitive performance was evaluated using the Novel Object Recognition and T-maze tests, while anxiety-like behavior was assessed with the open field test. Moreover, oxidative/nitrosative and inflammatory biomarkers, along with acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, were analyzed in the cerebral cortex. Compared with HSD-fed rats, HSD+CrP-fed rats showed: (a) improved cognitive performance in both memory tasks; (b) increased percentage of distance traveled in the center zone of the open field; (c) a decreasing trend in ROS and TBARS levels, together with increased catalase activity; (d) reduced chlorotyrosine, nitrotyrosine, and myeloperoxidase levels, while iNOS levels remained elevated; and (e) reduced AChE activity. The results suggest that M. borellii protein extract may be a valuable natural resource for preserving brain health and attenuating cognitive decline associated with MetS.