Oxidative stress and antioxidant status in mouse kidney: effects of dietary lipid and vitamin E plus iron

W Ibrahim1, U S Lee, J Szabo

  • 1Department ofNutrition and Food Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506-0054, USA.

Insights

High fish oil intake increases kidney oxidative damage in mice, while vitamin E offers some protection. Dietary iron had no significant impact on these oxidative stress markers.

Area of Science:

  • * Nutritional biochemistry and toxicology
  • * Renal oxidative stress and antioxidant defense mechanisms

Background:

  • * Dietary lipids, particularly polyunsaturated fatty acids, can influence oxidative stress.
  • * Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) is a key lipid-soluble antioxidant crucial for protecting cell membranes.
  • * Iron is essential for cellular metabolism but can also catalyze oxidative reactions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To investigate the impact of dietary fat (fish oil vs. lard) and vitamin E supplementation on kidney oxidative damage.
  • * To assess the role of dietary iron in modulating oxidative stress and antioxidant status in mouse kidneys.
  • * To determine how these dietary factors affect specific biomarkers of lipid peroxidation and antioxidant capacity.

Main Methods:

  • * Sixty male Swiss-Webster mice were fed a basal vitamin E-deficient diet for 4 weeks.
  • * Diets varied in fat source (fish oil/corn oil vs. lard) and included vitamin E (all-rac-alpha-tocopherol acetate) and iron (ferric citrate) supplementation.
  • * Kidney tissues were analyzed for lipid peroxidation products (TBAR, conjugated dienes), protein carbonyls, and antioxidant levels (ascorbic acid, glutathione, enzyme activities).

Main Results:

  • * Fish oil-rich diets significantly increased kidney lipid peroxidation products (TBAR, conjugated dienes) compared to lard diets, regardless of vitamin E status.
  • * Vitamin E deficiency led to higher renal TBAR levels, indicating increased oxidative damage.
  • * Fish oil-fed mice showed lower vitamin E levels and higher ascorbic acid levels in kidneys; dietary iron had no significant effect on measured oxidative stress or antioxidant indices.

Conclusions:

  • * High dietary fish oil intake exerts a pro-oxidant effect on mouse kidneys.
  • * Dietary lipids play a critical role in determining cellular susceptibility to oxidative stress.
  • * Vitamin E supplementation can mitigate some of the oxidative damage induced by fish oil, though iron's role was not significant in this study.

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