Antioxidant Effect of Garlic Supplement Against Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress in Rats

Yoon, Gun Ae

Abstract

This study was to investigate lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme activity and DNA damage after exercise, and the protective effect of garlic against exercise-induced oxidative stress. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (4 weeks old) were randomly divided into three groups of 6 rats each; control group (Con) without garlic and exercise, Ex group with exercise alone, and Ex-G group with 2% garlic and exercise. For 4 weeks, rats were given diets containing 15% corn oil and 1% cholesterol with or without garlic. The swimming was selected as a model for exercise performance. Rats swam for 40 min a day, for 5 days a week. Group Ex and Ex-G showed significant lowering in body weight gain and fat accumulation compared to control. No significant changes were observed in levels of plasma cholesterol and triglyceride among three groups, demonstrating that exercise and garlic had no effects on changes of blood lipid. This finding of blood lipid seems to be due to higher plant sterol content in corn oil. The DNA tail moment of lymphocytes showed greater tendency in Ex and Ex-G than in control, but garlic supplements failed to suppress DNA damages. Compared to control, Ex had higher plasma TBARS which was lowered to the control's level in Ex-G with 2% garlic supplementation (p < 0.05). Ex-G led to a higher hepatic superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity than control and Ex (p < 0.05). Activity of hepatic catalase was also increased in Ex-G, while in Ex it was significantly low (p < 0.05). It seemed that TBARS levels were related to the activities of SOD and catalase, and that garlic contributed to increasing the enzyme activities and led to decrease of TBARS. These results demonstrate that lipid peroxidation and DNA damage occur as a consequences of oxidative stress after exercise, and that antioxidant defense against oxidative stress could be enhanced by garlic supplementation through the induction of antioxidant enzymes. However, further investigations should be done on the garlic effect on DNA damage.