[Effect of erythropoietin on activities of antioxidant enzymes in the brain tissue of aged rats].
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of erythropoietin (EPO) on the activities of antioxidant enzymes, namely catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in the brain tissues of aged rats.


METHODS
Thirty SD rats were randomly divided into normal control, aging model, and recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) treatment groups (n=10). Morris water maze was used to compare the behavioral indexes. The rats were then sacrificed to observe Nissl bodies in the hippocampal neurons with Nissl staining and test the activities of CAT and GSH-Px in the brain tissues.


RESULTS
Compared with the control group, the aging rats showed significantly deteriorated learning and memory abilities (P<0.05), which were improved obviously by rhEPO treatment (P<0.05). The number of Nissl bodies in the neurons was reduced in the aging rats compared with that in the control group, and rhEPO treatment increased the number of Nissle bodies but failed to restore the control level. The aging rats also showed significantly lowered activities of CAT and GSH-Px in the brain tissue (P<0.05), which were increased significantly after rhEPO treatment (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
EPO can enhance the activities of the antioxidant enzymes in the brain tissues of aged rats to increase the antioxidant capacity and produces an anti-aging effect.
Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University College of Medicine, Xi'an 710004, China.E-mail: bellazhai@yeah.net.
Yuefen
Y
Zhai
Huiyun
H
Wang
Huqing
H
Wang
Hong
H
Sun
Guilian
G
Zhang
Haiqin
H
Wu
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase / Q000378:metabolism; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects; D009562:Nissl Bodies / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology
D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D004921:Erythropoietin; D000068817:Epoetin Alfa; D002374:Catalase; D005979:Glutathione Peroxidase