RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The activities and capacities of antioxidant systems of tissue cells are declined during aging, leading to the gradual loss of pro-oxidant/antioxidant balance and accumulation of oxidative damage. Hence, the present study evaluated the role of green tea extract (GTE), rich in polyphenols, in combating age-associated macromolecular damage in rat cardiac tissue. METHODS: The antioxidant defense system, lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation, and redox status in heart tissue were studied using young and aged rats. RESULTS: Significant increases in lipid peroxidation, protein carbonyls, and marked decreases in glutathione redox status, protein thiols, and activities of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants were observed in aged rats compared with young rats. Supplementation of GTE (100 mg/kg of body weight per day) orally for 30 days ameliorated these changes significantly. CONCLUSION: This study accredits GTE's antioxidant rejuvenating potency and its role in the amelioration of senescence-mediated redox imbalance in aged rat cardiac tissue.
