Linoleic Acid Supplementation Attenuates Inflammation and Redox Imbalance During Aging in Wistar Rats

Aging is the result of the accumulation of a variety of cellular and molecular damage over time. The oxidative stress-induced functional impairments are known to be the cause of age-related deficits. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Linoleic acid (LA) supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation in blood of young and old rats. Male rats in young and old groups were divided randomly into four distinct groups (n = 6). Group I: Young Control, Group II: Young Treated, Group III: Old Control, Group IV: Old Treated. Group II and IV were administered with LA (5 mg/kg body weight) orally via gavage for 28 days. After completion of the experimental protocol, rats were sacrificed and parameters of oxidative stress and inflammation were determined. Results show a significant (p ≤ 0.05) decrease in the level of Ferric reducing antioxidant potential (FRAP), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Reduced glutathione (GSH) in plasma and Plasma membrane redox system (PMRS) in RBCs and there was up-regulation in the levels of Intracellular ROS, Malondialdehyde (MDA), Advanced oxidation protein products (AOPPs), Protein carbonyl oxidation (PCO), Inflammatory cytokines: CRP, IL-6, TNF-α, COX and LOX in old rats when compared to young rats. After treatment with LA significant (p ≤ 0.05) increase in the level of FRAP, PMRS, GSH, SOD and CAT was reported and a significant decrease in the level of ROS, MDA, PCO, AOPP and inflammatory cytokines. The findings substantiate the putative role of LA in maintaining redox homeostasis in blood and preventing increase in inflammatory markers in blood.