Diet supplementation with iron augments brain oxidative stress status in a rat model of psychological stress

Objective: We investigated the influence of iron supplementation on brain oxidative stress and antioxidase activity in psychologically stressed rats. Methods: Rats were maintained on diets with different iron doses for 1 wk, and all other constituents of the diet were equated exactly according to the AIN-93-G diet. At the end of the experimental period, rats were sacrificed and brains were collected. To evaluate the effect of iron consumption, serum iron, apparent iron absorption, levels of iron concentration, lipid peroxidation, reduced glutathione, and superoxide dismutase activities of brains were measured. Results: Iron overload significantly elevated the level of iron content and malonaldehyde in rat brain, especially in the psychologically stressed group. Apparent iron absorption was decreased by increased iron supplementation in rats treated with psychological stress more than in control rats. Similarly, iron overload decreased superoxide dismutase activity and apparent iron absorption more significantly in psychologically stressed rats than in controls. Reduced glutathione level varied with diet, increasing in rats on a moderately high-iron diet but decreasing in rats on a extremely high-level iron diet. Conclusion: These results demonstrated that iron overload augments brain oxidative stress status and aggravates the decrease of apparent iron absorption in a rat model of psychological stress. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.