title: Plasma antioxidant enzymes and oxidized lipoproteins in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.
abstract: The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD, EC 1.15.1.1), glutathione peroxidase (GPx, EC 1.11.1.9) and the levels of alpha-tocopherol and oxidized lipoproteins were investigated in the plasma of New Zealand rabbits either before or after cholesterol-diet induced hypercholesterolemia. Plasma SOD activity increased while GPx activity decreased after 60 days of cholesterol feeding. However, in the cholesterol-fed rabbits the release of superoxide dismutase fraction C from vasculature by heparin was lower than that in control rabbits. The levels of triglyceride hydroperoxides increased in low density and high density lipoproteins after feeding rabbits with the cholesterol-rich diet during 60 days. Also, a trend for increasing cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides was observed in beta-very low density and high density lipoproteins. An increase in alpha-tocopherol concentration (microM) was observed in very low density and low density lipoprotein fractions, but after normalization of these results to the cholesterol content of lipoprotein particles only the alpha-tocopherol content of low density lipoprotein remained higher after 60 days of cholesterol feeding. The data suggest that low glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase fraction C activities may facilitate intravascular lipoprotein oxidation by oxidant species generated by the endothelium or blood cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analyses, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas, Universidade de São Paulo, Brasil.
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moriel
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Abdalla
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis*; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000097:blood*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000378:metabolism*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D011817:Rabbits; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000097:blood*; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D002791:Cholesterol, Dietary; D008074:Lipoproteins; D014810:Vitamin E; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase