This research was performed in order to determine the potential protective effects of ozonized sunflower oil (OSO) in the injury of rat gastric mucosa induced by absolute ethanol and as well as to elucidate the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipid peroxidation, and some important constituents of antioxidant defense such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) in these effects. OSO was administered to rats intragastrically by a cannula and it was applied during four days to animals. The doses of OSO administered daily to each group of rats were 4, 12, and 24 mg/kg, respectively, and one hour after the last treatment, absolute ethanol (1 mL/200 mg body weight) was administered. Our results showed that gastric ulcer index was significantly reduced in rats pretreated with OSO as compared with ethanol-treated controls. However, in rats pretreated with OSO, no significant reduction of TBARS content in gastric mucosa was found as compared to those rats treated with ethanol alone. In contrast, SOD and GSH-Px activities were significantly increased in gastric mucosa of OSO-pretreated rats with respect to those treated with ethanol alone.
In summary, our results demonstrate that OSO pretreatment exerts protective effects in ethanol-induced gastric ulcers in rats. Furthermore, these results provide evidence that these protective effects of OSO are mediated at least partially by stimulation of some important antioxidant enzymes such as SOD and GSH-Px, which are scavengers of ROS and therefore prevent gastric injury induced by them.
Ozone is a molecule of high energetic content. Its great oxidative power has been used in medicine for the treatment of several illnesses with a wide spectrum. The rectal insufflation with a mixture of ozone/oxygen is considered as a simple therapy, not painful, of low cost and practically free from adverse effects. Given its potential oxidation and lack of side-effects, the objective has been to know the state of different indexes of redox state in blood which may contribute to understanding the mechanism by which mixtures of ozone/oxygen administered by intrarectal route are able to exert actions on other organs. With this purpose female rabbits were used, distributed into four groups, and three doses of ozone/oxygen mixture were tested. When treatment was finished, the determination of pro-oxidant and antioxidant markers was carried out. Also indexes of organic damage were determined. Ozone doses administered to rabbits did not cause adverse effects and mortality did not show significant changes relative to tissue damages and they increased enzymes activities belonging to the first line antioxidant defences. The results demonstrate that ozone/oxygen mixture administered by rectal insufflations is innocuous and it is able to increase the antioxidant defense of the organism.
It was concluded that cytoprotective effects of OSO in rat gastric mucosa are mediated at least partially by upregulation of the antioxidant system and mainly SOD.
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