EFFECT OF WHOLE-BODY COLD STRESS ON GLUTATHIONE METABOLISM IN YOUNG AND OLD MICE

Cold stress is known to have several physical consequences in humans, and the response to cold stress may be altered with aging, reflecting impairment of stress adaptation in the aged. However, cold stress-indu ced alteration in systemic antioxidant capacity has not been fully elu cidated in senescent animal models including the senescence-accelerate d mouse (SAM). In this study, we examined the effects of whole body co ld stress, by immersion in cold water, on the content of both glutathi one (GSH) and oxidized GSH (GSSG) in two strains of mice, SAMR1/Gtk (s enescence-resistant strain) and SAMP2/Gtk (senescence-prone strain), o f 6 (young) and 16 (aged) months of age. In liver and blood, the reduc tion in GSH, and the increase in GSSG content was considerable in aged SAMP2/Gtk. A similar perturbation of GSH metabolism was found in aged SAMR1/Gtk, but not in young SAMR1/Gtk after cold exposure. The altere d metabolism of GSH caused by cold exposure was even found in the youn g SAMP2/Gtk mice. These results indicate the acute cold stress causes a significant decrease in the GSH level and perturbs GSH metabolism in several visceral organs and that the effect of cold stress on GSH met abolism may be further modulated by senescence.