Interaction between vitamin E and glutathione in rat brain—effect of acute alcohol administration

Abstract

Ethanol is known to produce membrane damage through increased lipid peroxidation leading to impairment of brain function. An investigation of the relative importance of vitamin E and glutathione (GSH) in rendering protection to the brain against ethanol-induced damage was undertaken. Normal, vitamin E-supplemented, and vitamin E-deficient rats were administered a single dose (1 mL 7 M/100 g body weight) of ethanol, and GSH levels and the activities of glutathione peroxidase (GP), glutathione reductase (GR), and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) were estimated in the cerebral cortex (CC), cerebellum (CB), and brain stem (BS) of rat brain. Vitamin E supplementation brought about an increase in GSH levels in CC and CB, elevation in GR and GST activities, and a decrease in GP activity in all three regions; while vitamin E deficiency brought about a decrease in the activities of GST (CC and CB) and GP (CB) only. Administration of ethanol to normal rats decreased GP activity in all three regions and GST activity in BS and increased GST activity in CC only. While no alterations either in GSH levels or activities of GP, GR, or GST in any of the regions were observed with vitamin E supplementation and ethanol treatment, vitamin E deficiency with ethanol administration led to depression in GP and GST activities in all three regions and GR activity in BS only. The results suggest that in the brain vitamin E acts both independently and in association with the GSH system to protect against ethanol induced damage.