Age at onset of caloric restriction and its effects on the redox profile of the rat hippocampus

Background The benefits of caloric restriction (CR) on the protection against age-related neurodegenerative diseases have been the subject of several studies. However, the effects of CR on the central nervous system are still poorly understood since most studies were carried out in mature animals. The present study aimed to investigate whether the age at onset of CR could differently affect the redox status of the rat hippocampus. Methods Thirty-two male Wistar rats at 35 days old (35d; n = 16) and 65 days old (65d; n = 16) were fed ad libitum or subjected to 30 % CR ( n = 8 group/age) for 12 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the rats were euthanized, blood was collected, and the hippocampus was dissected for measuring the redox status. Results CR in 35d and 65d rats induced a 16 and 21 % reduction in body weight gain, respectively, compared to controls ( p 0.05). However, glutathione peroxidase activity was higher ( p