0231–424X/$ 20.00 © 2012 Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest Acta Physiologica Hungarica, Volume 100 (1), pp. 84–88 (2013) DOI: 10.1556/APhysiol.99.2012.001 First published online December 11, 2012 Increased total scavenger capacity in rats fed corticosterone and cortisol on lipid-rich diet J Stark 1 , Zs Tulassay 1 , G Lengyel 1 , D Szombath 2 , B Székács 1 , I Ádler 1 , I Marczell 1 , P Nagy-Répas 1 , E Dinya 3 , K Rácz 1 , G Békési 1 1 2 nd Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary 2 Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary 3 Department of Health Informatics, Development and Postgraduate Education, Faculty of Medicine, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary Received: August 16, 2011 Accepted after revision: July 17, 2012 Background: In our earlier studies both corticosterone and cortisol had antioxidant effect in vitro. Objectives: Our aim was to clarify whether corticosterone and cortisol oral administration results in beneficial antioxidant changes in Sprague-Dawley adult male rats in vivo. Methods: Experimental animals were fed a lipid rich diet and treated with corticosterone or cortisol in the drinking fluid. Control group was fed only lipid rich diet with untreated drinking water. The untreated group was fed a normal diet with untreated water. Total scavenger capacity (TSC) was measured before and after 4 weeks of treatment in blood samples using a chemiluminometric assay. Results: Both corticosterone and cortisol treatment caused increased TSC. The control group and the untreated group showed no significant changes in TSC. Conclusion: Our results support the hypothesis that corticosterone and cortisol administration can improve the antioxidant status not only in vitro but also in vivo. Keywords: corticosterone, cortisol, antioxidant, free radical, total scavenger capacity, lipid-rich diet, rats Steroid compounds are widely used in medical therapies, often as immune suppressants – an effect that steroids exert in a considerably complex way. One element of this effect is the inhibition of superoxide production in the azurophilic granules of neutrophil granulocytes. The azurophilic granules – also called as primary granules – contain free radicals and a wide variety of anti-microbial defensins that are able to eliminate phagocytosed pathogens after the granule’s fusion with phagocytic vacuoles. As it has been proved certain steroids like dexamethasone, prednisolone, hydrocortisone and estrogen decrease superoxide anion production (4, 14, 16, 17). Although this mechanism is very likely to be present, the relevance of it is presumably secondary in the immune suppressant processes, while it might play pivotal role in the potential treatment of certain free radical mediated disorders such as atherosclerosis. While the highly reactive compounds in the primary granules are essential in the cytotoxic response of phagocytes, due to their high reactivity they can cause direct and indirect damage to the surrounding host tissues as well. Not only immune suppressant glucocorticoids can exert such antioxidant effect. As an example, the protective function of estrogen against atherosclerotic plaque formation is known, and is at least partly mediated through the reduction of oxidative stress (12). Arises Corresponding author: Iván Horváth Heart Institute, University of Pécs, Ifjúság u. 13, H-7624 Pécs, Hungary Phone: +36-72-536-001; Fax: +36-72-536-490; E-mail: ivan.g.horvath@aok.pte.hu