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  • Dietary docosahexaenoic acid-induced production of tissue lipid peroxides is not suppressed by higher intake of ascorbic acid in genetically scorbutic Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi/Shi-od/od rats

British Journal of Nutrition

Table of Contents - 2003 - Volume 90, Issue 02  

Research Article

Dietary docosahexaenoic acid-induced production of tissue lipid peroxides is not suppressed by higher intake of ascorbic acid in genetically scorbutic Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi/Shi-od/od rats

Seiji Sekinea1a2, Kazuhiro Kuboa1, Tadahiro Tadokoroa2, Akio Maekawaa2 and Morio Saitoa1 c1

a1 Division of Food Science, Incorporated Administrative Agency, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8636, Japan

a2 Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, Department of Applied Biology and Chemistry, Tokyo University of Agriculture, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 156-0054, Japan

Abstract

In previous studies, we showed that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) ingestion enhanced the susceptibility of rat liver and kidney to lipid peroxidation, but did not increase lipid peroxide formation to the level expected from the relative peroxidizability index (P-index) of the total tissue lipids. The results suggested the existence of some suppressive mechanisms against DHA-induced tissue lipid peroxide formation, as increased tissue ascorbic acid (AsA) and glutathione levels were observed. Therefore, we focused initially on the role of AsA for the suppressive mechanisms. For this purpose, we examined the influence of different levels of dietary AsA (low, moderate, high and excessive levels were 100, 300 (control), 600 and 3000 mg/kg diet respectively) on the tissue lipid peroxide and antioxidant levels in AsA-requiring Osteogenic Disorder Shionogi/Shi-od/od (ODS) rats fed DHA (6·4 % total energy) for 32 or 33 d. Diets were pair-fed to the DHA- and 100 mg AsA/kg diet-fed group. We found that the lipid peroxide concentrations of liver and kidney in the DHA-fed group receiving 100 mg AsA/kg diet were significantly higher or tended to be higher than those of the DHA-fed groups with AsA at more than the usual control level of 300 mg/kg diet. Contrary to this, the liver α-tocopherol concentration was significantly lower or tended to be lower in the DHA and 100 mg AsA/kg diet-fed group than those of the other DHA-fed groups. However, tissue lipid peroxide formation and α-tocopherol consumption were not suppressed further, even after animals received higher doses of AsA. The present results suggest that higher than normal concentrations of tissue AsA are not necessarily associated with the suppressive mechanisms against dietary DHA-induced tissue lipid peroxide formation.

(Received June 14 2002)

(Revised December 19 2002)

(Accepted April 08 2003)

Key Words:

Correspondence:

c1 *Corresponding author: Dr Morio Saito, fax +81 3 3203 7584, email msaito@nih.go.jp