title: Effects of age and dietary antioxidants on cerebral electron transport chain activity.
abstract: Aging is a pleiotropic process involving genetic and environmental factors. Recently it has been demonstrated that dietary constituents may affect senescence. In the present study, adult (3 month-old) mice were fed diets supplemented with ubiquinone (coenzyme Q(10)), alpha-lipoic acid, melatonin or alpha-tocopherol for a six-month period to determine if antioxidants may reverse or inhibit the progression of certain age-associated changes in cerebral mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETS) enzyme activities. The control consisted of a group of mice maintained on a basal diet for the same period. The activity of cytochrome c oxidase (Complex IV) increased with age but melatonin supplementation restored the activity to levels of 3 month-old animals. The activity of succinate dehydrogenase (Complex II) showed no age-related changes. However, this enzyme complex was elevated, in animals supplemented with coenzyme Q(10), alpha-lipoic acid and alpha-tocopherol, above corresponding values obtained with basal diet. NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (Complex I) and ubiquinol:ferricytochrome-c oxidoreductase (Complex III) activities remained unchanged.
authors.affiliation: Center for Occupational and Environmental Health, Department of Community and Environmental Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-1825, USA.
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Sharman
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Bondy
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D004579:Electron Transport / Q000502:physiology*; D042967:Electron Transport Complex I; D042963:Electron Transport Complex II; D014450:Electron Transport Complex III / Q000378:metabolism; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes / Q000378:metabolism; D009247:NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D013385:Succinate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008063:Thioctic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D014451:Ubiquinone / Q000494:pharmacology; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D009097:Multienzyme Complexes; D014451:Ubiquinone; D014810:Vitamin E; D008063:Thioctic Acid; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D042963:Electron Transport Complex II; D013385:Succinate Dehydrogenase; D009247:NADH, NADPH Oxidoreductases; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV; D042967:Electron Transport Complex I; D014450:Electron Transport Complex III; D008550:Melatonin