1. Redox imbalance influence in the myocardial Akt activation in aged rats treated with DHEA
- Author
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Maria Flavia Marques Ribeiro, Carlos Severo Dutra Filho, Daiane da Rocha Janner, Luiz Carlos Rios Kucharski, Tarsila Barros Moraes, Adriane Belló-Klein, Alex Sander da Rosa Araujo, Matheus Parmegiani Jahn, and Maria Helena Vianna Metello Jacob
- Subjects
Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Aging ,NF-E2-Related Factor 2 ,Reductase ,medicine.disease_cause ,Biochemistry ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Endocrinology ,In vivo ,Internal medicine ,Genetics ,medicine ,Animals ,Rats, Wistar ,Hydrogen peroxide ,Molecular Biology ,Protein kinase B ,Glutathione Transferase ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Glutathione Peroxidase ,Glutathione Disulfide ,Chemistry ,Glutathione peroxidase ,Myocardium ,Heart ,Cell Biology ,Glutathione ,Dehydroepiandrosterone ,Rats ,Models, Animal ,Thioredoxin ,Oxidation-Reduction ,Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ,Oxidative stress - Abstract
This study examined, in young and old (3 and 24 month-old, respectively) healthy Wistar rats, the in vivo effect of DHEA (10 mg/kg body weight) administered subcutaneously for 5 weeks. Reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione levels, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and thioredoxin (Trx) reductase activities, hydrogen peroxide steady-state concentration and Nrf2, GST, Trx-1, Akt and p-Akt expressions were assessed in heart tissue. DHEA treatment significantly increased GST activity in 3 and 24 month-old treated groups. The aging factor diminished hydrogen peroxide concentration and Nrf2 expression, independently of treatment. However, the aging process increased GST, Akt and p-Akt expressions in both 24 month-old groups. The aged group responded differently to DHEA respective to GSSG content, GPx activity and p-Akt concentration. Further studies are needed to form conclusions about the efficacy and safety of DHEA replacement in the elderly, and to better understand DHEA's net effect on oxidative stress parameters and its modulation of signaling cascades.
- Published
- 2010