Interaction of exercise and ethanol on antioxidant enzymes in brain regions of the rat

Abstract This study investigates the effect of ethanol ingestion on antioxidant enzymes (AOE) and lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde, MDA) in different brain regions of the rat after acute exercise. Acute exercise (100% VO 2max ) significantly increased glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity and decreased glutathione reductase (GR) activity in the cerebral cortex. Acute exercise significantly increased MDA level in the corpus striatum. Ethanol (20%) (1.6 g/kg, PO) significantly increased MDA level in the cerebral cortex. Ethanol also significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the cortex and catalase (CAT), GSH-Px, and GR activities in the corpus striatum. Ethanol significantly augmented CAT activity in the medulla and GSH-Px activity in the hypothalamus. However, CAT activity significantly decreased in the hypothalamus after ethanol ingestion. The combination significantly increased GSH-Px activity in the hypothalamus, SOD activity in the cortex, GR activity in the striatum, and MDA level in the medulla. In conclusion, the cerebral cortex, striatum, medulla, and hypothalamus reacted differentially in response to ethanol as well as to acute exercise-induced oxidative stress whereas the combination moderated the changes in AOE activity in specific brain regions.