Effect of nicotine on the glutathione, glutathione-s-transferase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activities in the skeletal muscle fibres of albino rat.

ABSTRACT

Nicotine, a major constituent of tobacco, plays a critical role in smoking addiction. Nicotine has been reported to induce oxidative stress by producing Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS). The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of nicotine on the antioxidant defense systems in the skeletal muscle fibre types (Type I, Type II) of albino rats. The animals were divided into three groups of six animals each, i.e., control, experimental-1 and 2. The animals received subcutaneous injection of nicotine in physiological saline at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg (Exptl. 1), and 1 mg/kg (Exptl. 2), 5 days a week, for 8 weeks. The animals were sacrificed at 20 hrs after the last treatment, and the following muscle fibres were isolated and analyzed - soleus (Type I), red vastus, and white vastus (Type II). Nicotine was found to significantly deplete the rat muscle fibres GSH (glutathione) content, and the activity of GST (glutathione-s-transferase) and G-6-PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase). This indicates that nicotine induces oxidative injury in the muscle fibres of rat.