Aspirin is widely used as an antiinflammatory drug especially in children with
rheumatic fever arthritis. The diminishing effects of
aspirin on
antioxidant enzymes and hepato-renal systems at high doses are well-known. It is now evident that the damage at
antioxidant system worsens the clinical picture of the disease and prolongs the treatment time. Thus, we investigated the effect of
antioxidant enzyme cofactors-
zinc and
selenium-supplementation on
superoxide dismutase (SOD),
glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and
malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (erythrocyte and liver) and hepato-renal toxicity during
aspirin treatment at therapeutic doses. The rats were divided into five groups. The first and second groups were given
aspirin 75 mg/kg/day and
aspirin plus
selenium (
Selenium 200,
selenium 200 mg
tablet as
selenium yeast, GNC) and
zinc (
Zinc 100,
zinc 100 mg
tablet as
zinc gluconate, GNC), respectively, the third and fourth take 50 mg/kg/day
aspirin and
aspirin plus
selenium and
zinc twice a day, respectively. The fifth group was control. The rats were treated with
aspirin for 5 weeks as in the treatment of
rheumatic fever arthritis in children. Erythrocyte SOD and MDA levels were preserved with supplementation, whereas there was no change for GSH-Px levels. Liver SOD, GSH-Px, and MDA levels were not changed. In
zinc- and
selenium-supplemented groups, the levels of serum
alanine aminotransferase,
uric acid, and direct
bilirubin levels were found statistically decreased compared with nonsupplemented groups. There was no significant histopathologic change in specimens of hepatic and renal tissues.
Trace element supplementation may prevent
free radical damage and shorten treatment time in children using long-term
aspirin treatment.