ANTIOXIDANT AND OXIDATIVE ENZYME ADAPTATIONS TO VITAMIN-E DEPRIVATIONAND TRAINING

The effects of endurance training on tissue antioxidant and oxidative enzyme activities were determined in heart, liver, and five skeletal m uscles of female rats. Rats were fed either normal (+E) or vitamin E f ree (-E) diets for 16 wk. For the final 8 wk, subgroups of +E and -E d iet animals were trained by treadmill running at 40 m.min(-1), 15% gra de for 60 min d(-1) No significant differences in training abilities w ere observed between diet groups. Endurance training significantly inc reased citrate synthase (CS) activity in all skeletal muscles for both the +E and -E diet animals with no significant difference in degree o f response between diet groups. Neither vitamin E deprivation, trainin g, or their combination generally affected the activities of the antio xidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), or glutath ione peroxidase (GPX) in skeletal muscles, heart, or liver of the anim als. These results suggest that despite an anticipated increase in fre e radical induced tissue ''oxidative stress'' brought about by a combi nation of vitamin E deprivation and endurance training, antioxidant en zyme adaptations were not evident and the response of citrate synthase to training was not impaired in female rats.