Effects Of Antioxidant Supplementation And Exercise Training On Erythrocyte Antioxidant Enzymes

Erythrocytes transport oxygen to tissues and exercise-induced oxidative stress increases erythrocyte damage and turnover. Increased use of antioxidant supplements by athletes may alter protective erythrocyte antioxidant mechanisms during training. PURPOSE To examine the effects of antioxidant supplementation (a-lipoic acid and a-tocopherol) and/or endurance training on the antioxidant defences of erythrocytes. METHODS Young male rats were assigned to (1) sedentary; (2) sedentary and antioxidant supplemented; (3) endurance trained or (4) endurance trained and antioxidant supplemented groups for 14 weeks. Erythrocyte activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and catalase (CAT) and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) were then measured. RESULTS Antioxidant supplementation had no significant effect (P>0.05) on activities of antioxidant enzymes in sedentary animals. Similarly, endurance training alone also had no effect (P>0.05). When combined, antioxidant supplementation and endurance training caused significant increases in activities of both GPX (125.9±2.8 vs 121.5±3.0 U/gHb,