Antioxidant activity in rat models of nociceptive stress

Pain is an important problem and has been the subject of many studies in recent years.

The present study has investigated the response of the antioxidant defense systems in contention stress, which mimics nociceptive stress. Contention stress was made by immobilizing the rat, Wistar rats, on an operating table in a specific position with paws tied, for thirty minutes. The determinations evaluate the levels of oxidative stress markers like reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and the levels of the protecting enzymes against of free radicals in brain.

After the application of contention stress, GSH level increased insignificantly, while MDA level increased significantly compared with the normal animals. These have demonstrated that in our model of nociceptive stress actioned the mechanisms of membrane lipid peroxidation. The activity of the antioxidant enzymes GSH, GPX and SOD decreased in the stressed animals compared with the normal group. This experiment has revealed that in our model of nociception stress, many reactive oxygen species (ROS) were generated, which reduced the enzymatic defense mechanisms and activated lipid peroxidation mechanisms.