Aging is a multifactorial process in which oxidative damage plays an important role. Resveratrol (RSV) and exercise delay some of the damages occurring during aging and increase life span and health span. We treated mice at different ages with RSV during 6 months and trained them during the last 6 weeks to determine if RSV and exercise induce changes in endogenous antioxidant activities in liver and if their effects depend on the age of the animal at the beginning of the intervention. Aging was accompanied by the increase in oxidative damage in liver especially affecting the glutathione-dependent system. Both RSV and exercise reversed the effect of aging and maintained high activities of glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione transferase activities in old animals.
Nad(p)h: quinone acceptor oxidoreductase activity was also increased. Modulation of antioxidant activities was not completely accompanied by changes at the protein level. Whereas glutathione peroxidase 1 protein increased in parallel to the higher activity in old animals,
Nad(p)h: quinone acceptor oxidoreductase protein decreased by RSV although the activity was enhanced. Our results indicate that RSV and exercise revert the effect of aging in liver of old animals maintaining higher antioxidant activities and decreasing oxidative damage. Short-term interventions are enough to produce beneficial effects of RSV or exercise at later ages.
Keywords: Aging; Endogenous antioxidant system; Exercise; Glutathione.; Resveratrol.