The Effect of Sulfur Dioxide on t-Butyl Hydroperoxide Induced Oxidative Stress in Lung Tissues of Rats

Authors: SAADET GÜMÜŞLÜ, DİJLE KİPMEN KORGUN, SÜREYYA BİLMEN, GÜLTEKİN YÜCEL, PİRAYE YARGIÇOĞLU, AYSEL AĞAR

Abstract: In this study, the effects of sulfur dioxide (SO_2) ,a common pollutant in urban air, on t-butyl hydroperoxide-induced oxidative stress in rat lung tissues were examined. Ten young rats and 10 adult rats were exposed to SO_2 while another 10 young rats and 10 adult rats made up the control groups. Ten ppm SO_2 was administered to the animals of the SO_2 groups in an exposure chamber for one hour a day every day for 6 weeks. The control groups were exposed to filtered air in the same chamber for the same period. At the end of the experimental period, the lung tissues were sonicated and the protein concentration was adjusted to 20 mg/dl. Albumin solution of the same concentration was prepared as the blank. Luminol-dependent chemiluminescence was induced by the addition of t-butyl hydroperoxide in the presence of hemoglobin as the catalyst. The maximum chemiluminescence intensities (MCI) and maximum chemiluminescence time (MCT) detected in both the controls and SO_2 groups were found to be significantly lower and longer respectively than those of the corresponding albumin group. The MCIs detected in the young and adult rats exposed to SO_2 were found to be significantly higher than those of the corresponding control rats. The MCIs detected in the adult rats exposed to SO_2 were found to be significantly higher than those of the young rats exposed to SO_2. The MCTs of the SO_2 groups were significantly decreased in comparison to the respective control groups. It seems that the exposure of lung tissues to SO_2 increases susceptibility to oxidative stress in rats. The results of this study also suggest that antioxidant protection in lung tissues may diminish with age.

Keywords: Chemiluminescence, SO_2, lung, ageing, rat.

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