title: Role of vitamin C and selenium in attenuation of nicotine induced oxidative stress, P53 and Bcl2 expression in adult rat spleen.
abstract: Forty adult female rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, nicotine, nicotine+vitamin C and nicotine+selenium group. Splenic tissues concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), nitric oxide, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities were measured. The P53 and Bcl2 proteins were detected by Western blot and their expression in splenic tissues were measured by quantitative real time PCR in all groups. Compared to control group, nicotine increased the concentrations of TBARS and nitric oxide significantly. However, Vit. C or Se supplementation with nicotine caused a significant decrease in these concentrations. SOD and CAT activities of nicotine group decreased significantly compared to control group. Treatment with Vit. C or Se plays a significant role in elevation of SOD and CAT activities. In splenic tissues, nicotine significantly decreases the protein levels and the mRNA expression of P53 and increases the protein levels of Bcl2 and its expression. Administration of Vit. C. to nicotine-treated rats completely reversed the decrease in P53 levels and its mRNA expression and the increase in Bcl2 levels and its mRNA expression to the control values. In contrast, Se administration did not induce any significant changes in these genes levels or expressions compared to nicotine group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Vit. C supplementation to nicotine treated rats was more effective than selenium in attenuation of nicotine-induced oxidative stress, p53 and Bcl2 expression in rat spleen tissues.
authors.affiliation: Medical Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt. Electronic address: mar_az_ahmed@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Marwa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt.
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: Pathology & Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt.
authors.forename: Khaled M A
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hassanein
authors.affiliation: Zoology Department, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Assiut 71526, Egypt.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Waly
keywords: Bcl2; Nicotine; Oxidative stress; P53; Selenium; Vitamin C