Abstract
Extensive but fragmentary studies have shown: (i) heroin, morphine and opiates are able to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation in several cells, (ii) they decrease the antioxidant defense system including enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and antioxidants, glutathione (GSH), Se, and vitamins. This study is to investigate the oxidative damage to DNA, proteins, and lipids in brain of mice administered heroin via intraperitoneal injection, and the effects of verbascoside and luteolin on this damage. All the indices of oxidative damage, such as 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), protein carbonyl group and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents increased significantly compared to those of controls in the brains of heroin-administered mice, while the indices related to the in vivo antioxidative capacity, such as the ratio of GSH and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and activities of SOD, CAT and GPx in the brain, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in serum significantly decreased. When heroin-dependent mice were treated with verbascoside or luteolin, oxidative stress status was limited.
