Effects of dietary fish oil on tissue glutathione and antioxidant defense enzymes in mice with murine aids

Abstract

The effects of dietary fish oil on major endogenous antioxidant defense parameters in tissues of mice with murine AIDS (MAIDS) were studied. Sixty-four female C57BL 6 mice were fed either a corn oil or fish oil diet (n=32). After 4 weeks, each group was divided into two subgroups (n=32). Mice in one subgroup from each diet group were infected with LP-BM5 murine leukemia virus by intraperitoneal injection, while those in the other subgroup (control) from each diet group were injected with the same amount of saline solution. At 4 weeks and 10 weeks post-infection, one half of the mice (n=8) from each subgroup were sacrificed and four organs (the liver, heart, lung and kidney) were excised. Reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and the activities of glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase were determined. The results showed that the viral infection decreased GSH levels in the kidney at both 4 and 10 weeks, and in the liver and lung at 10 weeks post-infection; while dietary fish oil prevented the decline of GSH levels in the liver and kidney. The viral infection caused a suppression of GPx activity in the lung and heart at 10 weeks post-infection; while dietary fish oil prevented the suppression of the enzyme activity induced by infection. The viral infection also caused a decrease in catalase activity in the heart at 4 weeks, and in the lung, heart and kidney at 10 weeks post-infection; while dietary fish oil increased catalase activity in these tissue except the lung. The results suggest that dietary fish oil may prevent the suppression of tissue endogenous antioxidant defense capability caused by MAIDS viral infection.