Mi. Thabrew et al., Protection by garlic against adriamycin induced alterations in the oxido-reductive status of mouse red blood cells, PHYTOTHER R, 14(3), 2000, pp. 215-217
The effects of oral garlic supplementation on the activities of (a) the ant
ioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX
) and (b) lipid peroxidation, as assessed by malondialdehyde (MDA) producti
on in red blood cells of normal mice and those subject to oxidative stress
by chronic administration of the anti-tumour drug adriamycin has been inves
tigated. As expected, adriamycin administration resulted in a significant i
ncrease in MDA generation (by 105.4%) and a decrease in GPX activity (by 23
.8%) in the red blood cells. Although garlic had no significant effects on
the basal levels of the antioxidant enzymes or MDA generation in red blood
cells of normal mice (untreated with adriamycin), at doses of 20 mg/kg or 1
00 mg/kg, garlic was able to decrease significantly the adriamycin induced
changes in the oxido-reductive status of the red blood cells. Thus, on admi
nistration of adriamycin to mice fed diets containing 20 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg
garlic, the drug-induced increase in MDA generation was 38.2% and 22.5% re
spectively, less than that produced by adriamycin in mice fed normal diets,
containing no garlic (105.4%), Similarly, in mice fed diets providing 20 m
g/kg and 100 mg/kg garlic, adriamycin was able to decrease GPX activity by
only 15.1% and 7.6% respectively, less than that produced by adriamycin in
rats fed normal diets, containing no garlic (23.9%). Copyright (C) 2000 Joh
n Wiley & Sons, Ltd.