Antioxidant enzymes in hypertensive and hypertriglyceridemic rats: effect of gender.

In a model of hypertensive and hypertriglyceridemic rats (HTG), in which oxidative stress is increased, the influence of gender upon activities of catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) was investigated. Statistically significant differences between antioxidant enzyme activities and treatment with relation to gender were analyzed. Weanling Wistar rats were given normal rat chow and either tap water for control group or 30% sucrose solution for HTG group, for 5-6 months. At the end of the experimental period, blood pressure was significantly higher in both male and female HTG groups, but males showed higher values than females. Serum, heart, kidney, and liver were obtained to determine antioxidant enzyme activities. Activities of CAT and GPX tended to be higher in male animals. A larger number of significant changes in enzyme activities associated with gender appears in HTG than in controls, which indicates the harmful effect of the treatment.