title: Blueberry treatment attenuates D-galactose-induced oxidative stress and tissue damage in rat liver.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  d-galactose (GAL) causes aging-related changes and oxidative stress in the organism. We investigated the effect of whole fresh blueberry (BB; Vaccinium corymbosum L.) treatment on oxidative stress in age-related liver injury model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats received GAL (300 mg/kg, s.c.; 5 days per week) alone or together with 5% (BB1) and 10% (BB2) BB-containing chow for 2 months. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities, and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyl (PC) and glutathione (GSH) levels, and CuZn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1), glutathione peroxidase (GPx1) and glutathione transferase (GST) activities together with mRNA expressions of SOD1, GPx1, MnSOD (SOD2) and phospholipid hydroperoxide glutathione peroxidase (GPx4) were determined in GAL-treated rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MDA and PC levels increased, but GSH levels, SOD1 and GPx1 activities decreased together with histopathological structural damage in the liver in GAL-treated rats. There was no change in hepatic mRNA expressions of SOD2 and GPx1, but SOD1 and GPx4 expressions decreased. BB1 and BB2 caused significant decreases in serum ALT and AST activities together with the amelioration in histopathological findings in GAL-treated rats. Both BB1 and BB2 reduced MDA and PC levels, and elevated GSH levels, and SOD1 and GPx1 activities. However, hepatic mRNA expressions of SOD1, SOD2, GPx1 and GPx4 remained unchanged in GAL-treated rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show that BB restored liver pro-oxidant status together with histopathological amelioration by acting as an anti-oxidant (radical scavenger) itself without affecting mRNA expressions of anti-oxidant enzymes in GAL-treated rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Yeditepe University Medical Faculty, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Jale
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Çoban
authors.forename: Esra
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Betül-Kalaz
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Küçükgergin
authors.forename: A Fatih
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.forename: Işin
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Doğan-Ekici
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Doğru-Abbasoğlu
authors.forename: Müjdat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Uysal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D029798:Blueberry Plants; D056486:Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005690:Galactose / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D005690:Galactose
keywords: aging; blueberry; galactose; liver; oxidative stress