Effect of antioxidant supplementation on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activity on exposure to acute restraint stress in sprague dawley rats

ABSTRACT

To determine the effects of ascorbic acid [AA] and alpha tocopherol [AT] supplementation on stress induced changes in serum malondialdehyde and serum superoxide dismutase levels in male Sprague Dawley rats. Quasi experimental study. Department of Physiology, Army Medical College Rawalpindi in collaboration with National Institute of Health, Islamabad during March 2009 to September 2009. Eighty male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into five groups with sixteen rats in each group. Group I served as control without stress and group II exposed to restraint stress for 06 hours, group III given ascorbic acid, group IV alpha tocopherol and group V was supplemented with both vitamins along with standard diet for one month. All antioxidant supplemented groups were exposed to restraint stress for six hours. Immediately after stress, the blood samples were analyzed colorimetrically to estimate serum malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase by commercially available kits. There was no significant fall in serum malondialdehyde in rats supplemented with ascorbic acid alone, however rats supplemented with alpha tocopherol or combination of ascorbic acid and alpha tocopherol revealed significant fall in serum malondialdehyde and increment in superoxide dismutase activity. Alpha tocopherol alone and in combination with ascorbic acid is effective to prevent reactive oxygen species induced increase in lipid peroxidation and fall in super oxide dismutase activity thereby conferring protection against oxidative stress