Age-Related Changes of Lipids Peroxidation and Antioxidants in different Organs of Rats and the Effect of Combined Treatment with Vitamins C and E

Abstract

Lipid peroxidation and derived oxidized products have been intensively investigated because of their potential to cause injury and their pathogenic role in several clinically significant diseases. In this study the impact of combined vitamins C and E (90 mg and 18 mg/kg/day) supplementation on oxidative damage was assessed by thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBA-rs), a sensitive index of lipid peroxidation. Makers of antioxidants: namely glutathione (GSH), glutathione reductase (GSH-R) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were investigated in the liver, kidney and brain of senile rats, after different time intervals of treatment (1,2 and 3 weeks). The results obtained revealed a marked decline in glutathione content, and in the activities of glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase in the liver and kidney of senile rats. However, an elevation of glutathione and GSH-R and an insignificant decrease in SOD were deleted in the brain. These changes in the antioxidants were accompained by significant increase in lipid peroxidation in the three organs of the same rats. With the combined vitamins C and E treatment, a marked enhancement with different degrees, was found in glutathione and the activities of glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase in different organs and depending on the duration of the experiment. These effects had been paralleled with a marked decrease in lipid peroxidation in the treated rats. Our findings reveal the potentiation of antioxidants and a relief in oxidative stress in the different organs under investigation in response to vitamin C and E supplementation. These findings suggest an important role of antioxidant supplementation in the improvement of antioxidant defense system of aged rat tissues.