title: Effect of sulfite on antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation in normal and sulfite oxidase-deficient rat erythrocytes.
abstract: Sulfite and related chemical such as sulfite salts and sulfur dioxide has been used as a preservative in food and drugs. This molecule has also been generated from the catabolism of sulfur-containing amino acids. Sulfite is a very reactive and potentially toxic molecule and has to be detoxified by the enzyme sulfite oxidase (SOX). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of ingested sulfite on erythrocyte antioxidant status by measuring glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and oxidant status by measuring thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in normal and SOX-deficient rats. Rats were assigned to four groups (n = 10 rats/group) as follows; control (C), sulfite (CS), deficient (D), and deficient + sulfite (DS). SOX deficiency was established by feeding rats a low molybdenum diet and adding to their drinking water 200 ppm tungsten (W). Sulfite (25 mg/kg) was administered to the animals via their drinking water. At the end of 6 weeks, Erythrocyte G-6-PD, SOD, and GPx but not CAT activities were found to be significantly increased with and without sulfite treatment in SOX-deficient groups. Sulfite treatment alone was also significantly increased erythrocytes' SOD activity in CS group compared to control. TBARS levels were found to be significantly increased in CS and DS groups and decreased in D group. When SOX-deficient rats treated with sulfite, TBARS level was still higher than other groups. In conclusion, these results suggested that erythrocyte antioxidant capacity, a defense mechanism against the oxidative challenge, increased by endogenous and exogenous sulfite due to its oxidant nature. This increase was also observed in CS and DS groups but it was insufficient to prevent lipid peroxidation.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Department of Biochemistry, Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay, Turkey. ohasanoz@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Oktay Hasan
authors.initials: OH
authors.lastname: Ozturk
authors.forename: Suleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oktar
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: Vural
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kucukatay
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D005520:Food Preservatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D050876:Sulfite Oxidase / Q000172:deficiency*; D013447:Sulfites / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D005520:Food Preservatives; D013447:Sulfites; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D005954:Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D050876:Sulfite Oxidase