Research report Effect of chronic unpredictable stress on short term dietary restriction and its modulation by multivitamin-mineral supplementation q Shirin Hasan a,e , Naureen Fatima a , Nayeem Bilal a , Nida Suhail a , Sabiha Fatima b , Enas N. Morgan d , Yousef Aldebasy c , Mohammad A. Alzohairy c , Naheed Banu a,d,⇑ a Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Life Sciences, A.M. University, Aligarh 202 002, Uttar Pradesh, India b Clinical Lab Science Department, College of Applied Medical Sciences, P.O. Box 10219, King Saud University, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia c Dept. of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Science, Qassim University, Qassim, P.O. Box 6699, Buraydah 51452, Saudi Arabia d College of Medical Rehabilitation, Qassim University, Qassim, P.O. Box 2100, Buraydah 51451, Saudi Arabia e Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA 1 article info Article history: Received 14 August 2012 Received in revised form 8 January 2013 Accepted 3 February 2013 Available online 12 February 2013 Keywords: Chronic unpredictable stress Dietary restriction DNA damage Multivitamin-mineral supplement Oxidative stress abstract Dietary restriction (DR) lowers steady-state levels of oxidative stress and alters behavioral, physiological and biochemical responses in mammals. However, various factors effect its application in humans like socio-cultural, appetite and the daily life stress. Physiological and psychological stress owing to fast- paced lifestyles, translates into oxidative stress. In this work, the role of chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) on the effects of short term DR in mice in terms of biochemical and oxidative stress parameters was investigated. Further, the modulatory role of multivitamin-mineral supplement (MVM) on CUS and DR induced biochemical changes was studied to delineate the role of micronutrient supplementation. DR treatment increased the antioxidant status in the circulation and liver of mice but in the presence of chronic stressors there was a significant shift towards the pro-oxidant state. A decrease was found in the activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione-S-transferase and glu- tathione reductase in the rats exposed to CUS with DR (CUS + DR), with an increased malondialdehyde and a decreased glutathione (GSH) levels as compared to the controls. Liver function enzymes–glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase were increased and a significant DNA damage was observed. Oral MVM supplement significantly improved this oxidative deterioration. Hence, MVM supplementation appears to potentially offer an effective intervention in the DR regimen to combat daily life physical and mental stress. Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction Dietary Restriction (DR) is a term commonly used to describe a 20–40% reduction in calorie intake, although it can also refer to more or less severe restrictions to reduced daily intake of particu- lar components of the diet, such as amino acids, proteins or fats (Fontana, Partridge, & Longo, 2010). The physiological effects of dietary or caloric restriction (DR/CR) on life span, disease and aging have been reported extensively in rodent models (Colman et al., 2009; Ribeiro et al., 2012). CR, compared with ad libitum (AL) feed- ing, is shown to increase the life span of laboratory mice and rats (Fishbein, 1991). The health benefits of CR are mediated through a harmony of redox homeostasis, mitochondrial function, inflam- mation, apoptosis and autophagy (Han & Ren, 2010). CR regimen in rodents results in many physiological changes, including reduc- tions in body weight, temperature, blood glucose, and insulin lev- els (Sohal & Weindruch, 1996). CR decreases metabolic rate, oxidative damage and cell proliferation, enhances autophagy and DNA repair processes (Fontana & Klein, 2007). Several studies have demonstrated that CR reduces damage to proteins, lipids, and DNA by diminishing the steady-state concentrations of the products of oxidative damage and decreases the in vitro susceptibility of differ- ent tissues to acute oxidative stress and the associated decline in 0195-6663/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.02.003 Abbreviations: AL, ad libitum; CAT, catalase; CR, caloric restriction; CUS, chronic unpredictable stress; DR, dietary restriction; GC, glucocorticoid; GOT, glutamate Oxaloacetate Transaminase; GPT, glutamate pyruvate transaminase; GR, glutathi- one reductase; GSH, reduced glutathione; GST, glutathione S-transferase; MDA, malondialdehyde; MVM, multivitamin-mineral; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SOD, superoxide dismutase. q Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to A.M. University, Aligarh for providing necessary facilities and the financial assistance in the form of scholarship to the authors from University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi is thankfully acknowledged.Conflict of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: nbanuamu@gmail.com, naheedbanu7@yahoo.com (N. Banu). 1 Present address. Appetite 65 (2013) 68–74 Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Appetite journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/appet