THE EFFECT OF DIETARY-SUPPLEMENTS ON GENE-EXPRESSION IN MICE-TISSUES

Exposure of living organisms to various environmental stresses induces the synthesis of so-called shock/stress proteins; many of them can pr ovide either immediate stress protection or participate in cellular re pair processes. In the present study we focused our attention on the p otential effect of dietary vitamins and microelements with antioxidant properties on stress protein gene expression. The analysis of gene ex pression in tissues of antioxidant-fed mice shows hsp-70 gene overexpr ession in liver and brain, but not in spleen and lung. Heat shock sign ificantly induces gene expression that is less pronounced in antioxida nt-fed animals in all analyzed tissues. Under conditions of oxidative stress, accumulation of lipid peroxidation products in liver homogenat es is partially suppressed in mice subjected to heat shock, and signif icantly inhibited in antioxidant-fed mice and in antioxidant-fed mice subjected to heat shock. The glutathione content in liver homogenates of antioxidant-fed mice is higher than in the control group. Heat shoc k decreases the level of endogenous glutathione in both groups of anim als, but it is still higher in the liver homogenate of antioxidant-fed mice. Thus, dietary supplements can modify gene expression induced by heat shock in vivo and protect rat tissues against oxidative stress b y enhancing the level of endogenous antioxidants and inducing hsp-70 g ene expression.