EFFECT OF VITAMIN-E ON ANTIOXIDANT ENZYMES AND NITRIC-OXIDE IN ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSED KIDNEY INJURY

The effects of Vitamin E administration on antioxidant enzyme activiti es and nitrite-nitrate levels of the reperfused rat kidney tissues wer e investigated by performing a 60 min ischemia followed by 24 and 72 h ours of reperfusion. Vitamin E administration or the placebo (SF) was applied as 100 mg/kg BW. As expected, catalase (CAT) (p<0.05) and supe roxide dismutase (SOD) (p<0.05) activities of ischemia/reperfused (I/R ) kidney tissue were lower and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were highe r than control kidneys in both SF and vitamin E treated groups followi ng 24 h reperfusion. During reperfusion of long term (72 h), vitamin E triggered a decrease in the MDA levels in the ischemic tissue, while it did not provoke a significant effect on SOD and catalase activities . Total nitrite levels of ischemic tissues in both of the groups were higher than matched control kidneys and this elevation was more clear in the vitamin E treated group. Our-results showed that vitamin E has a protective effect on I/R injury, by a direct chain breaking effect o n lipid peroxidation (LPO) and hence preventing the nitric oxide (NO) reservoir of ischemic tissue. Alfa-tocopherol may be a promising agent for the prevention of tissue injury caused by free oxygen radicals.