Feeding to satiation induces mild oxidative/carbonyl stress in the brain of young mice

Intermittent fasting as a dietary intervention can prevent overweight and obesity in adult organisms. Nevertheless, information regarding consequences of intermittent fasting for redox status and reactive metabolite-mediated processes that are crucial for the normal functioning of organisms is limited. Since the information on effects of intermittent fasting on parameters of oxidative/carbonyl stress in the brains of young mice was absent, the present study addressed these questions using an every-other-day fasting (EODF) protocol. The levels of carbonyl proteins were ~28 %, 22 % and 18 % lower in the cerebral cortex of EODF males and females and middle parts of the brain of EODF males, respectively, as compared to their ad libitum fed counterparts. Lipid peroxides and α-dicarbonyl compounds were lower only in the cortex and medulla part of EODF male brain. The EODF regimen resulted in higher total non-specific antioxidant capacity in different parts of male brain and a tendency to be higher this parameter in females. At the same time, EODF regimen had no effect on the activities of the defensive antioxidant enzymes, namely superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, glutathione peroxidase, glyoxylase 1 and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase in the cortex of both sexes, but even decreased activities of these enzymes in medulla and middle part of the brain. In general, the results suggest that in the brain of young mice ad libitum feeding induces mild oxidative/carbonyl stress which may be partially alleviated by the EODF regimen. The effect of EODF regimen is more pronounced in the medulla part than in the cortex.