No abstract

Brain is a target of stress along with the immune, metabolic, and cardiovascular systems of the body. In the present work, the preventive roles of a multivitamin-mineral supplement and vitamins (E + C) in chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)-induced oxidative damage were studied in the brain and heart of Swiss albino mice. Thirty-two mice were randomized to one of the following groups: control + vehicle, CUS + vehicle, CUS + multivitamin-mineral, and CUS + vitamins (E + C). CUS was applied for 4 weeks, and multivitamin-mineral and vitamins (E + C) were administered orally for the same period. CUS led to a negative impact on all the biochemical parameters analyzed. Elevation in malondialdehyde and reduction in glutathione levels were found. The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, and glutathione reductase were decreased. Treatment with multivitamin-mineral and vitamins (E + C) brought these parameters to near normal levels. Multivitamin-mineral was found more restitutive than combined vitamins (E + C) doses. The present study hypothesizes that supplementation with a multivitamin-mineral may prove more effective than vitamin treatment alone in the alleviation of oxidative damage in brain and heart during periods of chronic stress.

Phosphamidon was detected by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) from various CNS regions of the rats intoxicated with three doses (1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 mg/kg body-weight) intraperitoneally daily for seven days. A distinct dose-related increase in its concentration was observed in all investigated areas of the CNS. Regions with higher gray matter composition showed greater uptake of phosphamidon compared to those rich in white matter. This is in accordance with our previous study (Naqvi et al. 1988) revealing similar pattern in the effect of phosphamidon on the phospholipids in the brain.