title: Improvement of oxidative stress and immunity by melatonin: an age dependent study in golden hamster.
abstract: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been proposed to play an important role in balancing the pro- and antioxidant homeostasis during aging. Melatonin has been suggested as an effective free radical scavenger that might have a role during the process of aging. We observed, that melatonin administration (25 μg/100 g body weight for 30 days) significantly augments the activity of anti-oxidative enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in the plasma, spleen and bone marrow (BM) of young (6 weeks), adult (30 weeks) and old aged (2.5 years) male golden hamster, Mesocricetus auratus. A sharp decline in generation of ROS was observed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and splenocytes upon melatonin administration in different age group of hamsters. Reduction in the level of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and total nitrite and nitrate concentration as metabolites and indicators of nitric oxide (NO) in plasma, spleen and BM were observed along with night time (22:00 h) melatonin concentration in different age group of hamsters after administration of melatonin and compared to the control group (treated with 0.9% saline). General immune parameters like proliferation of splenocytes, PBMC and colony forming ability of GM-CFU were observed following melatonin treatment in different age group, although it was low only in aged hamsters compared to the young and adult. Our data indicates that the age related increase of oxidative load and simultaneously augments the general immunity in aged hamsters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi-221005, India.
authors.forename: Dipanshu Kumar
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Vishwas
authors.forename: Arun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukherjee
authors.forename: Chandana
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haldar
authors.forename: Debabrata
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dash
authors.forename: Manasa K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Nayak
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D006224:Cricetinae; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D055014:Granulocyte-Macrophage Progenitor Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008647:Mesocricetus; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013154:Spleen / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D017392:Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D008550:Melatonin