J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  1999 Sep;10(3):335-342.

The Antioxidant Effect of Vitamin C in Burn Model of Rat

• Shin SD
• Kim SH
• Pyo CH
• Rhee JE
• Suh KJ
• Jung SE
• Youn YK

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory mediators, including oxidants, play a important role in the systemic response to burn injury and cause a sepsis and subsequent multiple organ failure by lipid peroxidation of cell. It has been known that vitamin C has potent antioxidant effect and inhibits the lipid peroxidation. This study was designed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of vitamin C about lipid peroxidation in the early stage of bum injury.
METHODS
15 rats with second degree bum on 30-35% of body surface were divided into three groups. Only normal saline was injected into intraperitonial space on the control group , and vitamin C of 50 mg/kg of body weight was added on the low dose group (LDG), and vitamin C of 500 mg/kg of body weight on the high dose group (HDG). After 24 hours of bum damage, biochemical levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase were measured in lung and liver tissue. The statistical methods used were Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test.
RESULTS
MDA levels of LDG and HDG were significantly low compared to that of the control group (p<0.01). On the catalase activity, there was no significant difference when comparing the control group with LDG (p=0.015), but significant difference with HDG (p<0.01). There was no significant differences between three groups on the activities of SOD (p>0.01), except comparing the control group with HDG in lung tissue (p<0.01).
CONCLUSION
Vitamin C therapy in the early stage of bun decreased the level of MDA and increased the catalase activity. It means that vitamin C inhibits the lipid peroxidation and has antioxidant effect. But vitamin C revealed the only partial effect on the SOD activity.

MeSH Terms

Animals
Antioxidants*
Ascorbic Acid*
Body Weight
Burns*
Catalase
Lipid Peroxidation
Liver
Lung
Malondialdehyde
Multiple Organ Failure
Oxidants
Rats*
Sepsis
Superoxide Dismutase
Vitamins*
Antioxidants
Ascorbic Acid
Catalase
Malondialdehyde
Oxidants
Superoxide Dismutase
Vitamins