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Galactose alters markers of oxidative stress and acetylcholinesterase activity in the cerebrum of rats: protective role of antioxidants

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Abstract

We evaluated the in vitro effects of galactose at 0.1, 3.0, 5.0 and 10.0 mM on thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBA-RS), total sulfhydryl content, protein carbonyl content, on the activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum and hippocampus of rats. We also investigated the influence of the antioxidants (each at 1 mM), α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid and glutathione, on the effects elicited by galactose on the parameters tested. Results showed that galactose, at a concentration of 3.0 mM, enhanced TBA-RS levels in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex and cerebellum of rats. In the cerebral cortex, galactose at concentrations of 5.0 and 10.0 mM increased TBA-RS and protein carbonyl content, and at 10.0 mM increased CAT activity and decreased AChE activity. In the cerebellum, galactose at concentrations of 5.0 and 10.0 mM increased TBA-RS, SOD and GSH-Px activities. In the hippocampus, galactose at concentrations of 5.0 and 10.0 mM increased TBA-RS and CAT activity and at 10.0 mM decreased GSH-Px. Data showed that at the pathologically high concentration (greater than 5.0 mM), galactose induces lipid peroxidation, protein carbonylation, alters antioxidant defenses in the cerebrum, and also alters cholinesterase activity. Trolox, ascorbic acid and glutathione addition prevented the majority of alterations in oxidative stress parameters and the decrease in AChE activity that were caused by galactose. Our findings lend support to a potential therapeutic strategy for this condition, which may include the use of appropriate antioxidants for ameliorating the damage caused by galactose.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grants from Universidade da Região de Joinville and Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq (Brasil).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Medicina, Universidade da Região de Joinville– UNIVILLE, Rua Paulo Malschitzki, 10 - Zona Industrial Norte, Joinville, SC, CEP 89201-972, Brazil

    Daniela Delwing-de Lima

  2. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde e Meio Ambiente, Universidade da Região de Joinville– UNIVILLE, Rua Paulo Malschitzki, 10 - Zona Industrial Norte, Joinville, SC, CEP 89201-972, Brazil

    Daniela Delwing-de Lima & Monique Fröhlich

  3. Departamento de Farmácia, Universidade da Região de Joinville– UNIVILLE, Rua Paulo Malschitzki, 10 - Zona Industrial Norte, Joinville, SC, CEP 89201-972, Brazil

    Leticia Dalmedico, Juliana Gruenwaldt Maia Aurélio & Eduardo Manoel Pereira

  4. Departamento de Ciências Naturais, Centro de Ciências Exatas e Naturais, Universidade Regional de Blumenau, Rua Antônio da Veiga, 140, Blumenau, SC, CEP 89012-900, Brazil

    Débora Delwing-Dal Magro

  5. Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2600-Anexo, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil

    Angela T.S. Wyse

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  1. Daniela Delwing-de Lima
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  2. Monique Fröhlich
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  3. Leticia Dalmedico
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  5. Débora Delwing-Dal Magro
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  7. Angela T.S. Wyse
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Delwing-de Lima, D., Fröhlich, M., Dalmedico, L. et al. Galactose alters markers of oxidative stress and acetylcholinesterase activity in the cerebrum of rats: protective role of antioxidants. Metab Brain Dis 32, 359–368 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-016-9915-x

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