title: Antioxidant activity of propionyl-L-carnitine in liver and heart of spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: Oxidative stress plays an important role in arterial hypertension and propionyl-L-carnitine (PLC) has been found to protect cells from toxic reactive oxygen species. In this work, we have evaluated the antioxidant capacity of chronic PLC treatment in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) by measuring the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the lipid peroxidation in liver and cardiac tissues. The activity of glutathione peroxidase was decreased in liver and cardiac tissues of SHR when compared with their normotensive controls, Wistar- Kyoto (WKY) rats, this alteration being prevented by PLC treatment. Glutathione reductase activity was increased in hypertensive rats and no effect was observed after the treatment. No significant changes in superoxide dismutase activity were observed among all experimental groups. Liver of hypertensive rats showed higher catalase activity than that of normotensive rats, and PLC enhanced this activity in both rat strains. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, determined as a measure of lipid peroxidation, were increased in SHR compared with WKY rats, and PLC treatment decreased these values not only in hypertensive rats but also in normotensive ones. The content of carnitine in serum, liver and heart was higher in PLC-treated rats, but PLC did not prevent the hypertension development in young SHR. In addition, triglyceride levels, which were lower in SHR than WKY rats, were reduced by chronic PLC treatment in both rat strains. These results demonstrate: i) the hypotriglyceridemic effect of PLC and ii) the antioxidant capacity of PLC in SHR and its beneficial use protecting tissues from hypertension-accompanying oxidative damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Zoology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Seville, C/Profesor García González 2, E-41012 Seville, Spain.
authors.forename: Lucía
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gómez-Amores
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mate
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Revilla
authors.forename: Consuelo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santa-María
authors.forename: Carmen M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Vázquez
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002331:Carnitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D004798:Enzymes; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D005980:Glutathione Reductase / Q000378:metabolism; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D004798:Enzymes; D014280:Triglycerides; C003223:propionylcarnitine; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D005980:Glutathione Reductase; D002331:Carnitine