Response of cardiac antioxidant system to alcohol and exercise training in the rat

Recent evidence has shown that alcohol as well as exercise induces oxidative stress. However, the combination of both on the cardiac antioxidant system is not known. This study investigates the interactive effects of exercise training and chronic ethanol consumption on the antioxidant system of the rat heart. Male Fisher-344 rats were treated as follows: 1) sedentary control (SC); 2) exercise training (ET) for 6.5 weeks; 3) ethanol (2 g/kg, PO) for 6.5 weeks, and 4) ET plus ethanol for 6.5 weeks. Rats were sacrificed and hearts were isolated. Glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GR), and lipid peroxidation (MDA) were determined in heart tissues. SOD and GSH-Px activities were significantly increased 118% and 148% of SC, respectively, due to ET. GSH level increased 118% of SC in ET rats. GSH-Px activity increased 118% of SC whereas SOD activity and CuZn-SOD protein level and GR activity decreased 87%, 71%, and 90% of SC due to chronic ethanol administration. GSH level decreased 87% of SC and lipid peroxidation increased 149% of SC due to ethanol consumption. GSH-Px activity and GSH levels increased 143% and 130% of SC due to combination of ET and ethanol. This study suggests that ET and chronic ethanol ingestion augments the antioxidant enzyme activity and GSH levels in the heart. This combination reduced the extent of ethanol-induced lipid peroxidation. The data suggest that ET may reduce the extent of the damage caused by ethanol consumption on the myocardium.