Vitamin C supplementation during neonatal and juvenile period attenuated cardiovascular oxidative stress induced by hypothyroidism in rats

Vitamin C supplementation during neonatal and juvenile period attenuated cardiovascular oxidative stress induced by hypothyroidism in rats
Hossein Bakhtiari-Dovvombaygi,¹ Maryam Paseban,² Mahmoud Hosseini,³ Saeed Niazmand,⁴ Farimah Beheshti ,^5,*
1. Student Research Committee, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
2. Student Research Committee, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
3. Division of Neurocognitive Sciences, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
4. Neurogenic Inflammation Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
5. Neuroscience Research Center, Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences, Torbat Heydariyeh, Iran
Introduction: Oxidative stress has been considered as a link between hypothyroidism and cardiovascular diseases. Vitamin C has been well known to have antioxidant effects. The objective of this study was to investigate the attenuating effects of vitamin C supplementation during neonatal and juvenile period on cardiovascular oxidative stress induced by hypothyroidism in rats.
Methods: Sixteen pregnant rats were used in the present study. After delivery, they were randomly divided into five groups (1) control group which received normal drinking water; (2) in the second group propylthiouracil (PTU) was added to drinking water to induce hypothyroidism; (3-5) in these groups PTU plus 10, 100 and 500 mg/kg vitamin C was added to drinking water. After lactation period, the offspring continued to receive the same experimental treatment for the first 8-weeks of their life. Seven male offspring of each group were randomly selected. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, total thiol concentration, the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) were evaluated in the aortic and cardiac tissues and also in serum.
Results: Thyroxin and total thiol concentrations and CAT and SOD activities were decreased while; MDA level was increased in serum, heart and aorta tissues of PTU treated animals. Additionally, treatment of the animals by vitamin C could significantly improve all of these oxidative stress parameters compared to the PTU group.
Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated vitamin C supplementation during neonatal and juvenile period attenuated cardiovascular oxidative stress induced by hypothyroidism in rats.
Keywords: Vitamin C, Propylthiouracil, Hypothyroidism, Cardiovascular, Oxidative stress