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The incidence of hypertension with diabetes mellitus (DM) as a co-morbid condition is on the rise worldwide. In 2000, an estimated 972 million adults had hypertension, which is predicted to grow to 1.56 billion by 2025. Hypertension often leads to diabetes mellitus that strongly puts the patients at an increased risk of cardiovascular, kidney, and/or atherosclerotic diseases. Hypertension has been identified as a major risk factor for the development of diabetes; patients with hypertension are at two-to-three-fold higher risk of developing diabetes than patients with normal blood pressure (BP). Causes for the increase in hypertension and diabetes are not well understood, environmental factors (e.g., exposure to environmental toxicants like heavy metals, organic solvents, pesticides, alcohol, and urban lifestyle) have been postulated as one of the reasons contributing to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The mechanism of action(s) of these toxicants in developing hypertension and CVDs is not well defined. Research studies have linked hypertension with the chronic consumption of alcohol and exposure to metals like lead, mercury, and arsenic have also been linked to hypertension and CVD. Workers chronically exposed to styrene have a higher incidence of CVD. Recent studies have demonstrated that exposure to particulate matter (PM) in diesel exhaust and urban air contributes to increased CVD and mortality. In this review, we have imparted the role of environmental toxicants such as heavy metals, organic pollutants, PM, alcohol, and some drugs in hypertension and CVD along with possible mechanisms and limitations in extrapolating animal data to humans.

Many individuals with cardiac diseases undergo periodic physical conditioning with or without medication to improve cardiovascular health. Therefore, this study investigated the interaction of physical training and chronic nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor (nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, L-NAME) treatment on blood pressure (BP), cardiac vascular endothelial factor (VEGF) gene expression, and nitric oxide (NO) systems in rats. Fisher 344 rats were divided into four groups and treated as follows: (1) sedentary control, (2) exercise training (ET) for 8 weeks, (3) L-NAME (10mg/kg, s.c. for 8 weeks), and (4) ET+L-NAME. BP was monitored with tail-cuff method. The animals were sacrificed 24h after last treatments and hearts were isolated and analyzed. Physical conditioning significantly increased respiratory exchange ratio, cardiac NO levels, NOS activity, endothelial eNOS, and inducible iNOS protein expression as well as VEGF gene expression. Training also caused depletion of cardiac malondialdehyde (MDA) levels indicating the beneficial effects of the training. Chronic L-NAME administration resulted in a depletion of cardiac NO level, NOS activity, and eNOS, nNOS, and iNOS protein expressions, as well as VEGF gene expression (2-fold increase in VEGF mRNA). Chronic L-NAME administration also enhanced cardiac MDA levels indicating cardiac oxidative injury. These biochemical changes were accompanied by increases in BP after L-NAME administration. Interaction of training and NOS inhibitor treatment resulted in normalization of BP and up-regulation of cardiac VEGF gene expression. The data suggest that physical conditioning attenuated the oxidative injury caused by chronic NOS inhibition by up-regulating the cardiac VEGF and NO levels and lowering the BP in rats.

Carboplatin is currently being used as an anticancer drug against human cancers. However, high dose of carboplatin chemotherapy resulted in hearing loss in cancer patients. We have shown that carboplatin-induced hearing loss was related to dose-dependent oxidative injury to the cochlea in rat model. However, the time response of ototoxic dose of carboplatin on hearing loss and oxidative injury to cochlea has not been explored. The aim of the study was to evaluate the time response of carboplatin-induced hearing loss and oxidative injury to the cochlea of the rat. Male Wistar rats were divided into two groups of 30 animals each and treated as follows: (1) control (normal saline, i.p.) and (2) carboplatin (256 mg/kg, a single i.p. bolus injection). Auditory brain-evoked responses (ABRs) were recorded before and 1–5 days after treatments. The animals ( n =6) from each group were sacrificed on day 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 and cochleae were isolated and analyzed. Carboplatin significantly elevated the hearing thresholds to clicks and to 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 kHz tone burst stimuli only 3–5 days post-treatment. Carboplatin significantly increased nitric oxide (NO), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) activity in the cochlea 4–5 and 3–5 days post-treatment, respectively, indicating enhanced influx of free radicals and oxidative injury to the cochlea. Carboplatin significantly depressed the reduced to oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio, antioxidant enzyme activities such as copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) as well as enzyme protein expressions in the cochlea 3–5 days after treatment. The data suggest that carboplatin-induced hearing loss involves oxidative injury to the cochlea of the rat in a time-dependent manner.

Many individuals with cardiovascular diseases undergo physical conditioning with or without medication. Therefore, this study investigated the interaction of exercise training and chronic nitroglycerin treatment on blood pressure (BP) and changes in cardiac nitric oxide (NO) and antioxidants in rats. Fisher 344 rats were divided into four groups treated as: (1) sedentary control, (2) exercise training for 8 weeks, (3) nitroglycerin (15 mg/kg, s.c. for 8 weeks), and (4) training+nitroglycerin for 8 weeks. Respiratory exchange ratio (RER), BP, and heart rate (HR) were monitored weekly for 8 weeks. The animals were sacrificed 24 h after last treatments, hearts isolated, and analyzed. Physical conditioning significantly increased RER, cardiac NO levels, and endothelial eNOS protein expression. Training significantly enhanced cardiac glutathione (GSH) levels, GSH/GSSG ratio, and the up-regulation of cardiac copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD), manganese (Mn)-SOD, catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities, and protein expression. Training also caused depletion of cardiac malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyls with a significant increase in RER without any change in BP and HR. Chronic nitroglycerin administration significantly increased cardiac NO levels and eNOS protein expression. Nitroglycerin administration significantly enhanced cardiac Mn-SOD, CAT, and GST activities, and protein expression with decreased MDA levels and BP. Interaction of training and chronic nitroglycerin treatment increased cardiac NO levels with enhanced eNOS and iNOS protein expressions, GSH/GSSG ratio, and the up-regulation of antioxidant enzymes. This interaction normalized BP and HR and increased RER. The data suggest that the interaction of physical training and chronic nitroglycerin treatment resulted in the maintenance of BP and RER by up-regulating the antioxidants and NO levels and by reducing the oxidative stress in the rat heart.

Ethanol consumption and cigarette smoking are common in societies worldwide and have been identified as injurious to human health. This study was undertaken to examine the interactive effects of chronic ethanol and nicotine consumption on the antioxidant defense system in different tissues of rat. Male Fisher-344 rats were divided into four groups of five animals each and treated for 6.5 weeks as follows: (1) Control rats were administered normal saline orally; (2) ethanol (20% [wt./vol.]) was given orally at a dose of 2 g/kg; (3) nicotine was administered subcutaneously at a dose of 0.1 mg/kg; and (4) a combination of ethanol plus nicotine was administered by the route and at the dose described above. The animals were killed 20 h after the last treatment, and liver, lung, kidney, and testes were isolated and analyzed. Chronic ingestion of ethanol resulted in a significant depletion of glutathione (GSH) content in liver, lung, and testes, whereas chronic administration of nicotine significantly depleted GSH content in liver and testes. The combination of ethanol plus nicotine resulted in a significant depletion of GSH content in liver, lung, and testes. Ethanol, nicotine, or a combination of ethanol plus nicotine significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in liver and decreased SOD activity in kidney. Ethanol, nicotine, or a combination of ethanol plus nicotine significantly decreased catalase (CAT) activity in liver and increased CAT activity in kidney and testes. Chronic ingestion of ethanol resulted in a significant decrease in glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in liver and kidney, whereas a combination of ethanol plus nicotine increased GSH-Px activity in liver and decreased GSH-Px activity in kidney and testes. Ethanol, nicotine, or a combination of ethanol plus nicotine significantly increased lipid peroxidation, respectively, in liver. It is suggested that prolonged exposure to ethanol and nicotine produce similar, and in some cases additive, oxidative tissue injuries in rat.

Carboplatin, a platinum-containing anticancer drug, is currently being used against a variety of cancers. However, a single high dose of carboplatin is ototoxic in cancer patients. This is the first study to show carboplatin-induced hearing loss in a rat model. Male Wistar rats were divided into five groups and treated as follows: (1) control (saline, intraperitoneally (i.p.)); (2) carboplatin (64 mg/kg, i.p.); (3) carboplatin (128 mg/kg i.p.); (4) carboplatin (192 mg/kg, i.p.) and (5) carboplatin (256 mg/kg, i.p.). Animals in all groups were sedated with ketamine/xylazine and auditory brain-evoked responses (ABRs) were recorded before and 4 days after treatments. The animals were sacrificed on the fourth day and cochleae were harvested and analyzed. Carboplatin dose-dependently decreased body weight. However, at higher doses of carboplatin (192 and 256 mg/kg), there was a significant elevation of hearing threshold shifts at clicks, 4, 8, 16 and 32 kHz tone burst stimuli. The higher doses of carboplatin (192 and 256 mg/kg) significantly increased cochlear lipid peroxidation (132 and 146% of control) and depleted cochlear glutathione levels (66 and 63% of control), respectively. The antioxidant enzyme activities such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) depressed significantly at higher doses of carboplatin. The data suggest that higher doses of carboplatin (above 128 mg/kg) induce hearing loss as evidenced by significant changes in ABRs, lipid peroxidation and antioxidants in the cochlea of rats.

This study was designed to investigate the dose as well as time dependent effects of ethanol on testicular antioxidant defense system in rats. Male Fischer 344 rats were administered ethanol at a dose of 2, 4, and 6 gm/kg orally and control received equal volume of saline and sacrificed 1 h after ethanol ingestion. For time course study, animals were administered ethanol 4 g/kg orally and sacrificed at 1.5, 2, 4, and 6 h after ethanol ingestion. Testicular ethanol concentration increased with increasing doses of ethanol. Copper zinc-superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD) activity significantly decreased in the testes of rats treated with increasing doses of ethanol whereas manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) activity significantly increased in a dose dependent manner (181, 186, and 195% of control, respectively). Testicular glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels did not significantly alter with increasing doses of ethanol one hour after ethanol ingestion. Ethanol concentration decreased in the testes with an increase in time after ethanol ingestion. Testicular CuZn-SOD activity significantly decreased whereas Mn-SOD activity increased with an increase in time after ethanol ingestion. Testicular catalase (CAT) activity significantly decreased at 2 h postethanol ingestion. Testicular MDA levels significantly increased at 4 and 6 h after ethanol ingestion indicating that end product of lipid peroxidation. MDA, takes considerable time to form in the testes. A significant decrease in the ratios of CAT/Mn-SOD and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px)/Mn-SOD in the testes of rat suggests the ability of mitochondria to scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS). It is suggested that antioxidant enzyme ratios may be used as an important parameter to determine ethanol induced oxidative stress in the tissues.

1. 1. This study examines the effects of exercise training and chronic ethanol consumption on cholinesterase activity and its relationship to lipid peroxidation in blood and brain regions of rat. 2. 2. Exercise training (6.5 weeks) decreased acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity significantly (64% of control) in hypothalamus and increased AChE activity in cerebral cortex (149% of control), whereas, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased in hypothalamus (129% of control) and decreased in cortex, striatum, and cerebellum (50%, 69% and 75% of control), respectively. 3. 3. Chronic ethanol ingestion (2.0 gm/Kg P.O. for 6.5 weeks) significantly increased butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) activity in plasma (136% of control) and decreased AChE activity in hypothalamus (63% of control), whereas, MDA levels increased in hypothalamus, cortex, and plasma (140%, 130% and 220% of control), respectively. 4. 4. The combination significantly increased BuChE activity (173% of control) in plasma and decreased AChE activity (71% of control) in hypothalamus and (57% of control) in cerebellum, whereas, MDA levels increased in hypothalamus, cerebellum, medulla and plasma (134%, 128%, 140% and 309% of control), respectively. 5. 5. Exercise training, chronic ethanol ingestion, and combination selectively inhibited hypothalamic AChE and the inhibition was correlated with increased lipid peroxidation (r = 0.11, 0.41 and 0.45) which may perturb hypothalamic function. The combination enhanced the peripheral stress response by increasing plasma BuChE activity and lipid peroxidation.

Recent evidence has shown that alcohol as well as exercise induces oxidative stress. However, the combination of both on the cardiac antioxidant system is not known. This study investigates the interactive effects of exercise training and chronic ethanol consumption on the antioxidant system of the rat heart. Male Fisher-344 rats were treated as follows: 1) sedentary control (SC); 2) exercise training (ET) for 6.5 weeks; 3) ethanol (2 g/kg, PO) for 6.5 weeks, and 4) ET plus ethanol for 6.5 weeks. Rats were sacrificed and hearts were isolated. Glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), glutathione reductase (GR), and lipid peroxidation (MDA) were determined in heart tissues. SOD and GSH-Px activities were significantly increased 118% and 148% of SC, respectively, due to ET. GSH level increased 118% of SC in ET rats. GSH-Px activity increased 118% of SC whereas SOD activity and CuZn-SOD protein level and GR activity decreased 87%, 71%, and 90% of SC due to chronic ethanol administration. GSH level decreased 87% of SC and lipid peroxidation increased 149% of SC due to ethanol consumption. GSH-Px activity and GSH levels increased 143% and 130% of SC due to combination of ET and ethanol. This study suggests that ET and chronic ethanol ingestion augments the antioxidant enzyme activity and GSH levels in the heart. This combination reduced the extent of ethanol-induced lipid peroxidation. The data suggest that ET may reduce the extent of the damage caused by ethanol consumption on the myocardium.

This study was undertaken in order to determine the effects of exercise and ethanol consumption on antioxidant system in rat liver and plasma. Male Fisher-344 rats were treated as follows: (1) sedentary control (SC); (2) acute exercise (AE); (3) ethanol 20% (1.6 g/kg, p.o.); and (4) AE and ethanol administration. Animals were sacrificed and plasma and liver were isolated and analyzed for antioxidant enzyme, glutathione and lipid peroxidation. In liver, AE significantly elevated SOD and GSH-Px activity and slightly increased MDA level. Ethanol significantly decreased SOD, CAT, and GR activity (69, 74, and 77% of SC) respectively, and also depleted GSSG level (61% of SC) in liver. AE plus ethanol significantly decreased SOD activity 976% of SC), GSH and GSSG levels (85 and 72% of SC) in liver. In plasma, AE significantly enhanced GR activity (173% of SC). Ethanol decreased CAT, GSH-Px, and GR activity (41, 75 and 57% of SC) respectively and lowered MDA level (80% of SC) in plasma. AE plus ethanol significantly decreased CAT and GSH-Px activity (7% and 45% of SC) and increased SOD activity (160% of SC) in plasma. The data indicate that the combination of AE and ethanol ameliorated the changes in hepatic antioxidant enzyme activities, and enhanced the depletion of hepatic glutathione. The ratios of CAT/SOD, GSH-Px/SOD and GR/GSH-Px in plasma almost doubled due to acute exercise whereas CAT/SOD ratio decreased 20-fold due to alcohol consumption which may be used as an index of exercise and alcohol-induced oxidative stress.

The protective effects of atropine, diacetylmonoxime (DAM), and diazepam separately and in combination were investigated in rats exposed to malathion. Malathion (500 mg/kg, ip) inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AchE) activity in RBC and brain and produced hyperglycemia and hyperlactacidemia with depletion of glycogen in liver, triceps, and brain of animals 2 hr after its administration. Atropine (20 mg/kg, ip) given immediately after malathion abolished hyperglycemia and glycogenolytic effect but exhibited no effect on the recovery of inhibited AchE activity. DAM (100 mg/kg ip) given immediately after malathion significantly reactivated the inhibited AchE activity both in RBC and brain. It also partially modified hyperglycemia and glycogenolytic effect. Diazepam (50 mg/kg, ip) slightly modified AchE and abolished hyperglycemia, hyperlactacidemia, and glycogenolytic effects. A combination of these drugs protected the animals from the acute toxic effects of malathion.

Treatment with diazinon (40 mg/kg, i.p.) resulted in hyperglycemia and depletion of glycogen from cerebral and peripheral tissues 2 hr after its administration in rats. The activities of the glycogenolytic enzymes glycogen phosphorylase and phosphoglucomutase were increased significantly in brain and liver, whereas that of glucose-6-phosphatase was not altered. The activities of the glycolytic enzymes hexokinase and lactate dehydrogenase were increased only in the brain. The cholinesterase activity of the brain was reduced by treatment with diazinon. The activities of the hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes fructose 1,6-diphosphatase and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase were also increased significantly in diazinon-treated animals. The level of lactate was increased in brain and blood, whereas that of pyruvate was not changed. The activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase was not changed significantly. The cholesterol and ascorbic acid contents of adrenals were depleted in diazinon-treated animals. The hyperglycemia and changes in carbodyhdrate metabolism were abolished by adrenalectomy, suggesting the possible involvement of the adrenals in the induced changes in diazinon-treated animals.

The renal response of the fetal lamb to repeated complete occlusion of the umbilical cord was studied in nine chronically instrumented animals. Five episodes of occlusion of the umbilical cord, each lasting for two minutes, produced a twofold rise in fetal urine osmolality and sodium, chloride, and potassium concentrations. Output of urine and glomerular filtration rate remained essentially unchanged while free water clearance decreased from a control of +0.10 to −0.02 ml. per kilogram per minute at the end of the fifth episode. Electrolyte concentrations in urine remained elevated for at least two hours following the occlusions. In addition to changes in urine composition, there was a 50- to 200-fold increase in the fetal plasma concentration of vasopressin. These studies indicate that complete interruption of the umbilical circulation, even though of short duration, produces disturbances in fetal renal function that can lead to loss of electrolytes in the urine. They provide an explanation for the low sodium levels reported in asphyxiated newborn infants in renal failure.