Protective Effects of Salicylic Acid and Vitamin C on Sulfur Dioxide-Induced Lipid Peroxidation in Mice

Abstract

The antioxidant effects of exogenous salicylic acid (SA) and vitamin C (Vit C) on the oxidative stress induced by 56 mg/m³ of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) in mouse livers and brains were investigated. The exposure of SO₂ caused significant elevation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) levels and reduction of enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), and catalase (CAT) in brain and liver, accompanied by a decrease in relative growth rate, when compared with controls. Application of moderate concentrations of SA and Vit C markedly reduced the SO₂-induced elevation of TBARS levels, with 5.5 mg/kg SA or 200 mg/kg Vit C being most effective. In contrast to the decrease of TBARS levels, the levels of SOD, POD, and CAT in liver and brain were significantly increased in comparison with controls. The polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of total liver proteins showed that the SO₂ inhalation caused a 30-kD protein band disappearance compared with the control. However, the band remained unchanged in the samples treated with 5.5 and 8.25 mg/kg SA or 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg Vit C. Therefore, this protein band may serve as a marker for the damage induced by SO₂ and an additional basis for drug screening and selection.