Long-term melatonin administration protects brain mitochondria from aging.
We tested whether chronic melatonin administration in the drinking water would reduce the brain mitochondrial impairment that accompanies aging. Brain mitochondria from male and female senescent prone (SAMP8) mice at 5 and 10 months of age were studied. Mitochondrial oxidative stress was determined by measuring the levels of lipid peroxidation and nitrite, glutathione/glutathione disulfide ratio, and glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities. Electron transport chain activity and oxidative phosphorylation capability of mitochondria were also determined by measuring the activity of the respiratory chain complexes and the ATP content. The results support a significant age-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction with a diminished efficiency of the electron transport chain and reduced ATP production, accompanied by an increased oxidative/nitrosative stress. Melatonin administration between 1 and 10 months of age completely prevented the mitochondrial impairment, maintaining or even increasing ATP production. There were no major age-dependent differences between males in females, although female mice seemed to be somewhat more sensitive to melatonin treatment than males. Thus, melatonin administration as a single therapy maintained fully functioning brain mitochondria during aging, a finding with important consequences in the pathophysiology of brain aging.
Carretero
Miguel
M
Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Granada and RETICEF, Granada, Spain.
Escames
Germaine
G
Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Granada and RETICEF, Granada, Spain.|Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
López
Luis C
LC
Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Granada and RETICEF, Granada, Spain.|Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
Venegas
Carmen
C
Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Granada and RETICEF, Granada, Spain.|Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
Dayoub
José C
JC
Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Granada and RETICEF, Granada, Spain.|Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
García
L
L
Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Granada and RETICEF, Granada, Spain.|Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.
Acuña-Castroviejo
Darío
D
Centro de Investigación Biomédica, Parque Tecnológico de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Granada and RETICEF, Granada, Spain.|Departamento de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Granada, Granada, Spain.|Laboratorio de Análisis Clínicos, Hospital Universitario San Cecilio, Granada, Spain.
D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects; D016922:Cellular Senescence / Q000187:drug effects*; D045222:Electron Transport Chain Complex Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051379:Mice; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism
D045222:Electron Transport Chain Complex Proteins; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D005978:Glutathione; D008550:Melatonin; D019803:Glutathione Disulfide