Free radical scavenging and antioxidant effects of lactate ion: an in vitro study

1 Laboratoire de Physiologie et de Biomécanique de l'Exercice Musculaire, UFRAPS Rennes 2, UPRES A 1274, Campus la Harpe, CS 24414, 35044 Rennes Cedex; and 2 Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire et Végétale, Faculté de Pharmacie, Université de Rennes 1, 35043 Rennes Cedex, France Divergent literature data are found concerning the effect of lactate on free radical production during exercise. To clarify this point, we tested the pro- or antioxidant effect of lactate ion in vitro at different concentrations using three methods: 1 ) electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) was used to study the scavenging ability of lactate toward the superoxide aion (O 2 ·) and hydroxyl radical (·OH); 2 ) linoleic acid micelles were employed to investigate the lipid radical scavenging capacity of lactate; and 3 ) primary rat hepatocyte culture was used to study the inhibition of membrane lipid peroxidation by lactate. EPR experiments exhibited scavenging activities of lactate toward both O 2 · and ·OH; lactate was also able to inhibit lipid peroxidation of hepatocyte culture. Both effects of lactate were concentration dependent. However, no inhibition of lipid peroxidation by lactate was observed in the micelle model. These results suggested that lactate ion may prevent lipid peroxidation by scavenging free radicals such as O 2 · and ·OH but not lipid radicals. Thus lactate ion might be considered as a potential antioxidant agent. electron paramagnetic resonance experiments; linoleic acid autoxidation; lactate; lipid peroxidation; oxidative stress