Changes in oxidative status of the heart in rats receiving vitamin C supplements

We studied the oxidative status of the heart in rats receiving by two doses of vitamin C over a period of four weeks. The activities of copper zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), and catalase, hydrogen peroxide concentration, the level of lipid peroxidation, and total vitamin C content were determined in the heart of the experimental animals, as well as the concentration of vitamin C in their serum. Our results indicate that, apart from the ability of rats to synthesize vitamin C, supplementation leads to additional antioxidative protection. U ovom radu ispitivan je efekat prehranjivanja dvema dozama vitamina C na oksidativni status srca pacova. Odredjivani su aktivnost bakar cink superoksid dismutaze, mangan superoksid dismutaze i katalaze, nivo lipidne peroksidacije i koncentracija vodonik peroksida i ukupnog vitamina C u srcu eksperimentalnih zivotinja, kao i koncentracija vitamina C u serumu. Dobijeni rezultati ukazuju da egzogeno dat vitamin C povecava antioksidativnu zastitu u srcu pacova, bez obzira na sposobnost ovih zivotinja da ga i endogeno sintetisu.