Korean J Physiol Pharmacol.  1997 Apr;1(2):221-224.

Melatonin enhances hepatic glutathione-peroxidase activity in Sprague-Dawley rats

• Kim CY
• Yun CS
• Park DH
• Choi WS
• Kim JS

Abstract

Effects of melatonin on hepatic glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px) and glutathione-reductase (GSH-reductase) activities were studied in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats administered i.p. (10 mg/kg body weight) with melatonin during 15 days. The activity of cytosolic GSH-reductase in the liver was not changed by melatonin. However, melatonin injection increased significantly the activity of liver cytosolic GSH-Px activity compared with those in saline-treated rats. At the same time, plasma GSH-Px was also increased significantly in melatonin-treated rats. Since GSH-Px, a major antioxidative enzyme, removes H-2O-2 and lipid peroxides which are formed during lipid peroxidation from cellular membrane, such elevation of heptatic GSH-Px activity may contribute to the improvement of antioxidative effects under oxidative damage in the liver.

Keyword

Melationin; Hepatic glutathione-peroxidase; Plasma

MeSH Terms

Animals
Cytosol
Lipid Peroxidation
Lipid Peroxides
Liver
Melatonin*
Membranes
Plasma
Rats
Rats, Sprague-Dawley*
Lipid Peroxides
Melatonin