EFFECTS OF METADOXINE(R) ON CELLULAR STATUS OF GLUTATHIONE AND OF ENZYMATIC DEFENSE SYSTEM FOLLOWING ACUTE ETHANOL INTOXICATION IN RATS

The aim of the study was to determine whether a combination of pyridox ine and pyrrolidone carboxylate (PCA) could influence the antioxidant defence system in hepatic and extrahepatic tissues during acute ethano l administration. The results showed that ethanol treatment led to a s ignificant depletion of reduced glutathione and increase in oxidized g lutathione (GSSG) in the different organs, associated with decreased a ctivity of glutathione reductase. Pretreatment of animals with Metadox ine(R) (PCA + pyridoxine) one hour before ethanol administration produ ced a significant protection against glutathione (GSH) depletion in th e different organs examined. This was consistent with an increase in g lutathione reductase activity. in view of the fact that free thiol com pounds such as glutathione are vital in cellular defence against oxida nts and that decreases in reduced glutathione precede lethal cell inju ry resulting from free radical accumulation, our study supports the ef fectiveness of Metadoxine as a useful therapeutic agent effective in t he management of ail those pathological conditions where a severe imba lance of cellular redox state seems to take place as a result of the g eneration of free radical species.