Shima Neamati , Masoud Alirezaei, Arash Kheradmand, Marzieh Rashidipour, Mohammad Reza Saki
Background: The aim of the present study was to examine the possible antioxidant properties of ghrelin by evaluation of enzymatic (glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase, (CAT)) and non-enzymatic (GSH-content) antioxidant defense system, as well as determination of lipid peroxidation marker (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS) in the rat kidney.
Method: Twenty-eight adult Wistar rats (male and female equally) were subdivided into control and treatment groups. Treatment groups received 3 nmol of ghrelin as subcutaneous injection for 10 consecutive days while, physiological saline injected to the control groups. The rats were killed one the day after the last treatment and their kidneys were taken for biochemical analysis.
Results: Catalase activity was significantly higher in the ghrelin-treated rats when compared to the controls for both genuses (P <0.05). In contrast, lipid peroxidation value, (TBARS), reduced significantly on both genuses in the ghrelin-exposed animals (P <0.05). Furthermore, the mean activity of SOD and GSH-content were significantly higher in the female ghrelin-treated rats compared to the controls but, these differences were not statistically significant for male ghrelin-treated rats.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that ghrelin possesses possibly beneficial antioxidant effects in the kidney of rats, via enhancing activities of CAT, and SOD subsequently, increasing GSH-content and GPx activity, respectively. These effects were noticeable in the females than to the males possibly, due to the higher level of oestrogen.
