effects of estrogen replacement therapy on lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities of ovariectomized and ovariectomized-diabetic rats

Menopause and diabetes are conditions producing free radicals independently from each other. Estrogen replacement therapy which widely used in postmenopausal period has beneficial effects because of its antioxidant property. The study groups were as follows: ovariectomy (n=8), ovariectomy+17-östradiol (n=8), ovariectomy+diabetes (n=10) and ovariectomy+diabetes+17-östradiol (n=8). Diabetes was induced by streptozotocin (45 mg/kg i.p.) and the treatment with 17-östradiol (0.1 mg/kg/day) was started a week after ovariectomy. After–week long experimental period aortic and uterine tissues were collected from the animals and the malondialdehyde concentration, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities were quantified. The treatment did not effect blood glucose concentrations, but increased plasma estradiol concentrations. Increased malondialdehyde concentrations were reduced by the treatment in aorta from diabetics and nondiabetics, but the treatment increased malondialdehyde concentrations in nondiabetic uterine while were reducing in diabetic uterine. The treatment also reduced the increased activities of catalase and glutathione peroxidase in aorta from diabetics and nondiabetics, on the other hand the treatment increased the activities of those enzymes in uterine from diabetics and nondiabetics. Our results suggested that estrogen acts as an antioxidant or prooxidant depending on the tissues.