Effect of age on the levels of kidney tissue glutathione in the Royal College of Surgeons strain of rat : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

The focus of this study was to investigate differences in the levels of glutathione in the cytosolic and mitochondrial portions of the kidneys in young (2 months of age) and old (24 months of age) male Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) strain of rat. A previous study in the rat suggested that changes in kidney tissue glutathione in the mitochondria occur with age. Kidneys were harvested from young and old RCS rats, homogenized and separated into cytosolic and mitochondrial portions by differential centrifugation. Levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were determined by chemical assay and compared using a Student's t-test. Body weight and kidney weight were significantly higher in older rats. A significant increase in mitochondrial GSH levels, when expressed in µmoles per gram of kidney weight, was observed. Thelevels of total mitochondrial glutathione (GSH + GSSG) were also significantly higher in older rats. There was no difference in cytosolic levels of GSH or total glutathione between kidneys from young and old RCS rats. This study suggests that mitochondrial levels of GSH and total glutathione increase with age in the RCS rat.