Effects of different contrast media on glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities in the heart and kidneys of normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
OBJECTIVE
Hemodynamic changes and contrast nephropathy are well known complications of contrast media injection. However, the mechanisms of toxicity leading to these complications remain unclear. We hypothesized that contrast media toxicity would manifest as a change in antioxidant enzyme activity, thus leading to tissue damage.


METHODS
This study investigated the effects of injection of ionic high-osmolar diatrizoate, ionic low-osmolar ioxaglate, and nonionic low-osmolar iopromide on the activities of two antioxidant enzymes, glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), in the heart and kidney tissue of normal male Wistar rats (n = 51) and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats (n = 54). Activities of GPX and SOD were assayed spectrophotometrically.


RESULTS
Renal GPX activities were significantly decreased in both normal (458.3 +/- 64.6 to 385.5 +/- 63.4 mU/mg, p = 0.005) and diabetic rats (669.0 +/- 98.1 vs. 564.0 +/- 153.3 mU/mg, p = 0.035) at 1 hour after diatrizoate injection. Renal SOD activities were not affected after contrast injection. Ioxaglate and iopromide injection did not cause any change in renal antioxidant enzyme activity. In contrast to kidney tissue, there was no significant change in GPX and SOD activities in heart tissue at 1 hour after injection of different contrast media.


CONCLUSIONS
Intravenous injection of ionic high-osmolar diatrizoate reduced renal GPX activity during the first hour in both normal and STZ-induced diabetic rats. Heart tissue was not prone to antioxidant enzyme activity changes after intravenous contrast media injection. GPX activity reduction can be an important mechanism of nephrotoxicity after contrast media injection.
Lee
Hsiang-Chun
HC
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
Yen
Hsueh-Wei
HW
Sheu
Sheng-Hsiung
SH
D000818:Animals; D003287:Contrast Media / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000201:enzymology*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism*; D007668:Kidney / Q000201:enzymology*; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000201:enzymology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013311:Streptozocin; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism*
D003287:Contrast Media; D013311:Streptozocin; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase