title: Vitamin C and E Supplements Enhance the Antioxidant Capacity of Erythrocytes Obtained from Aged Rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of vitamin C and E supplements on the antioxidant capacity of erythrocytes obtained from young and aged rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats aged 3 and 24 months were used. Vitamins C and E were injected at doses of 200 mg/kg (day) intraperitoneally in young and aged groups. The antioxidant capacity, oxidant stress parameters, and deformability of red blood cells collected from different age stages were evaluated. An in vitro oxidation system was constructed to explore the mechanisms of antioxidant capacity change in the vitamin treatment groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment with vitamins C and E can effectively restore the antioxidant capacity and deformability of red blood cells (RBCs) in aged rats. Under in vitro oxidative conditions, an age-dependent decline in the influx rate of L-cysteine was observed. This was significantly improved following treatment with vitamins C and E.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We present evidence of an improvement in the antioxidant capacity of RBCs by treatment with vitamins C and E in aged rats. These observations also suggest that treatment with vitamins C and E improves glutathione synthesis by enhancing the influx rate of L-cysteine through the modification of membrane proteins and lipids.
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University , Yantai, P.R. China .
authors.forename: Yanlian
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Pathophysiology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences , Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS), School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, P.R. China .
authors.forename: Yanlei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University , Yantai, P.R. China .
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University , Yantai, P.R. China .
authors.forename: Yanan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University , Yantai, P.R. China .
authors.forename: Yuqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University , Yantai, P.R. China .
authors.forename: Xiaotong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University , Yantai, P.R. China .
authors.forename: Yingfang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: 1 School of Basic Medicine, Binzhou Medical University , Yantai, P.R. China .
authors.forename: Naili
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003545:Cysteine / Q000494:pharmacology; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004907:Erythrocyte Deformability / Q000187:drug effects; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005978:Glutathione / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D016877:Oxidants / Q000633:toxicity; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014810:Vitamin E / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D016877:Oxidants; D014810:Vitamin E; D005978:Glutathione; D003545:Cysteine; D001205:Ascorbic Acid
keywords: L-cysteine transport; erythrocyte; vitamin C; vitamin E