Protection of proteins and lipids of blood plasma by different lithium salts under ethanol-induced oxidative damage

Abstract

Introduction

The creation of new lithium compounds with antioxidant activity is relevant problem for psychiatry. The aim of this work was study of the protective effect of lithium salts against ethanol-induced oxidative damage to proteins and lipids of human blood plasma in vitro.

Methods

We used lithium ascorbate and lithium carbonate 0.6 mmol/L which correspond to the therapeutic dose (in terms of lithium ions). Antioxidant carnosine (β-Ala-L-His) was used as comparison drug. We used the blood of 12 healthy donors. The heparinized blood samples were incubated in presence of tested preparations for one hour at 37 °C. The final ethanol concentration in samples was 0.5%. Oxidative modification of proteins was determined as the level of carbonylated proteins with 2.4–dinitrophenilhydrazine, lipid peroxidation products–as the level of TBA-reactive products by spectrometry. Statistical analysis was performed with “Statistika 10” program.

Results

The addition of ethanol in the blood led to a significant increase in carbonylated proteins and TBA-reactive products in the plasma (carbonylated proteins: without ethanol 0.26 ± 0.01 nmol/mg of protein; with ethanol 0.33 ± 0.02 nmol/mg; TBA-reactive products: without–3.2 ± 0.1 nmol/mL; with–4.0 ± 0.2 nmol/mL, P < 0.05). In the presence of carnosine such increase of oxidized products of biomolecules is not observed, i.e. carnosine had a protective effect against ethanol-induced oxidative damage. Lithium ascorbate showed a protective effect like carnosine. Lithium carbonate revealed no detectable influence on biomolecules in the conditions of our experiment.

Conclusion

Lithium ascorbate has a protective effect on blood plasma proteins and lipids under ethanol-induced oxidative damage of biomolecules.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.