Abnormal antioxidant defence in some tissues of congenitally obese mice

The concentration of lipoperoxides (estimated as thiobarbituric acid-reactive material) and some components of the antioxidant defence system have been compared in various tissues of lean and congenitally obese mice. NADPH-stimulated lipoperoxide generation in vitro was significantly higher in microsomes (microsomal fractions) prepared from obese hepatic tissue than lean. Plasma, liver and brain lipoperoxide concentration was significantly higher in obese mice. In blood derived from obese mice the concentration of non-enzymic antioxidants including caeruloplasmin and vitamin A was higher, but hepatic retinol concentration was lower in these animals. In all the tissues assayed the glutathione peroxidase activity against H2O2 was less than its activity against cumene hydroperoxide. Assayed with either substrate, glutathione peroxidase activity was significantly higher in the brain and blood of obese mice than their lean counterparts. Conversely, liver glutathione peroxidase was decreased in obese animals, representing 43% of the activity of the lean-mouse liver enzyme against H2O2 and 81% of the cumene hydroperoxide-reducing activity. The liver of obese mice had significantly less, and the kidneys more, oxidized glutathione than the corresponding tissues of lean mice. Further investigations on hepatic tissue indicated that glutathione reductase activity was lower in the obese animals, but there was no significant difference between glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in obese and lean mice.