Antioxidant Enzyme Activities in Rabbits Under Oxidative Stress Induced By High Fat Diet

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the type and form of oil (raw/non-oxidised (N) or post-frying/oxidised (O)) consumed in high-fat diets affect the oxidative status of an organism, as observed by malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration as an oxidative factor and antioxidant enzyme activity.

Fats in the diet came from rapeseed oil (R) and olive oil (O).

The applied diet caused a decrease in MDA concentration (μmol/L) in serum in group RN from 2.94 ± 0.87 to 1.76 ± 0.13, in group ON from 2.45 ± 0.62 to 1.50 ± 0.10, and in group OO from 2.70 ± 1.16 to 1.84 ± 0.36. Meanwhile, MDA concentration (mmol/L) increased in blood haemolysate in group RO from 0.15 ± 0.07 to 0.22 ± 0.03 and in group OO from 0.17 ± 0.02 to 0.22 ± 0.02. The observed changes caused a response of the enzymatic antioxidant system in both models, especially followed by an increase in activities of total superoxide dismutase and its mitochondrial isoenzyme in all experimental groups, while its cytosolic isoenzyme activity increased only in ON and OO groups. Increased activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPX) in groups RN and RO and of catalase (CAT) in groups ON and OO was observed. Significant differences in responses to the different types and forms of oils were probably caused by the different oxidative stability of the studied oils.

This diet disturbed the body's oxidative status; however, during the six-month study the enzymatic antioxidant system remained effective.