Abstract
The effects of age and inflammation on antioxidant enzyme activity were examined in the rabbit eye. Iridic, choroidal and retinal superoxide dismutase activity (SOD) was measured in adult (6 mo) and aged (4+ yr) animals before and after intravitreal endotoxin administration. No age-related decrease in SOD was noted in control animals. In fact, an age-related increase in SOD activity was noted in each tissue. Endotoxin administration was associated with significant SOD induction in irides, choroids and retinas of adult animals but not of aged animals. Iridic catalase activity, however, exhibited a 22% age-related decrease in control animals and a further 45% decrease after the inflammatory stimulus. Malondialdehyde (MDA), quantified by measurement of thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reaction as an index of lipid peroxidation, increased at each age exhibiting a linear relationship in tissues from young (6 wk), adult and aged animals in endotoxin-treated eyes (r=0.999) while not exhibiting an age-related difference in control eyes.
The present data indicate that the propensity of ocular tissues from aged animals to undergo increased oxidative damage subsequent to inflammation may be due to both the age-related decrease in catalase activity and the inability of tissues from aged animals to induce SOD in response to an inflammatory stimulus.
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Recasens, J.F., Green, K. The effects of age and inflammation on antioxidant enzyme activity in the eye. AGE 15, 114–117 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02434901
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02434901