Glutathione-Related Antioxidant Defense System in Elderly Patients Treated for Hypertension

The purpose of this study was to analyze glutathione antioxidant defense system in elderly patients treated for hypertension. Studies were carried out in the blood collected from 18 hypertensive and 15 age- and sex-matched controls, all subjects age over 60. Hypertensives were on their usual antihypertensive treatment at the time of blood collection. The concentration of glutathione (GSH) in whole blood and activities of glutathione peroxidase (GPx-1), glutathione transferase (GST), and glutathione reductase (GR) in erythrocytes were measured. The data from patients and controls were compared using independent-samples t test. P value of 0.05 and less was considered statistically significant. We observed increased glutathione-related antioxidant defense in treated hypertensive elderly patients (HT) when compared with healthy controls (C). Mean GSH concentration was significantly higher in HT when compared with C: 3.1 ± 0.29 and 2.6 ± 0.25 mmol/L, respectively, P < 0.001. Mean activity of GR was significantly higher in HT group if compared with C: 83.4 ± 15.25 U/g Hb versus 64.2 ± 8.26 U/g Hb, respectively, P < 0.001. Mean activity of GST was significantly higher in HT group compared with C: 3.0 ± 0.60 mmol CDNB-GSH/mgHb/min and 2.6 ± 0.36 mmol CDNB-GSH/mgHb/min, respectively, P < 0.05. No difference in GPx activity was observed between two groups. These results show that glutathione-related antioxidant defense system was enhanced in elderly hypertensive patients treated for their conditions. This suggests important role of glutathione system in blood pressure regulation. Alterations in concentration and activity of antioxidants observed during antihypertensive medication are likely to be related to the effect of the treatment on NO bioavailability

injury

This study was designed to clarify the effects of pentoxifylline (PTX) and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) on hepatic reperfusion injury in rats. Rats were pretreated with NAG, or PTX, or combination of the drugs. In each rat, liver was isolated after twenty minutes reperfusion following thirty minutes ischemia. Plasma alanine amino transferase (ALT) activity, liver tissue glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GSSGR), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were determined. Plasma ALT activity was higher in ischemia/reperfusion groups than in control. It was decreased in the groups given NAG. Administration of NAC maintained tissue GSH levels, whereas the levels were decreased in both the ischemia/reperfusion groups treated (P < 0.05) and untreated with PTX (P < 0.01). Increases in liver MDA concentration in ischemia/reperfusion (P < 0.01) and PTX-treated groups (P < 0.05) were mitigated by administration of NAG. GPx and CAT activities were increased in the ischemia/reperfusion (P < 0.01, P < 0.05) and PTX-treated groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.001). GSSGR activities were increased in the NAC (P < 0.001) and NAC-PTX-treated groups (P < 0.01). SOD activities were higher in the ischemia/reperfusion (P < 0.01) and the PTX-treated (P < 0.01) and the NAC-PTX-treated groups (P < 0.01). In conclusion, short-term liver ischemia/reperfusion diminished GSH, increased MDA and induced some antioxidant enzymes. While we could not find any useful effects with PTX as we expected, our findings indicate that NAC might be useful to prevent tissue damage in hepatic ischemia/reperfusion injury. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved