ABSTRACT The purpose of this study, carried out in Wistar rats, was to evaluate the protective effect of
dietary restriction (performed by intermittent fasting) against oxidative stress induced by a low concentration of
nickel chloride in kidney, liver, uterus, and ovary. Lipid peroxidation (
TBARS),
catalase activity, and the levels of
vitamins E and A in the blood were investigated in rats feed for 1 month either daily (N) or 1 day over two (intermittent fasting, IF) and then injected (NNi, IFNi) or not with
nickel chloride (30 mumoles/kg
body weight/day) for 10 days. Ni induced a significant increase of
TBARS in organs of N rats. Intermittent fasting alone or associated to
nickel treatment did not result in
TBARS change in IF and IFNi rats.
Catalase activity levels were found to be similar in N and IF rats. In Ni-treated rats a transient increase of
catalase activity appeared at day 1 in the kidney and days 1 and 3 in the liver. Then,
catalase activity was found to be inhibited until day 10. In the uterus and ovary,
catalase activity was always found to be inhibited. In IFNi rats, no significant increase of
catalase activity was observed as compared to IF rats.
Vitamin E was inhibited from the 1st to the 10th day in Ni rats, whereas no significant changes were noted in IFNi rats. A moderate decrease of
vitamin A was only found at days 1 and 3 in Ni rats. In conclusion, intermittent fasting is able to protect from oxidative stress induced by low concentration of Ni, but
catalase and
Vitamins E and A do not seem to be involved.