Vol. 7, Issue 4 (2018)

Author(s):
Jayasudha Yeleti, K Aswani Kumar, A Gopala Reddy, P Eswara Prasad and Kirankumar Yarramshetti

Abstract:
The present study was carried out to evaluate the ameliorative effect of omega 3 fatty acids on physical stress in rats. Twenty-four adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided in to four groups of six rats in each as group I – control diet, Group II - omega 3 fatty acid supplemented diet, Group III - induced physical stress with control diet, Group IV - induced physical stress with omega 3 fatty acid supplemented diet. Physical stress was induced by overcrowding of 6 rats per standard cage instead of 4 rats. Omega 3 fatty acids were supplemented as fish oil @ 3% in the feed. All rats were euthanized as per CPCSEA guidelines on 29th day and liver tissues were collected. The organs were snap frozen and stored at -20ºC for further analysis of reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and protein carbonyls in the liver homogenate. Stress group (II) rats showed significant decrease in GSH, SOD, GPx and significant increase in TBARS and protein carbonyl levels emphasizing the fact that overcrowding in Group II rats induced considerable physical stress that resulted in oxidative damage via ROS production. Group IV rats showed significant improvement in GSH, SOD and significant decrease in TBARS, protein carbonyls levels whereas GPx was not altered significantly. The results of the present study elucidate the physical stress induced ROS production and compromised antioxidant defense in rat liver and ameliorative effect of omega 3 fatty acids present in fish oil on reversing the oxidative stress through alteration in the level of SOD but not GPx.