Monosodium glutamate-induced obesity changed the expression and activity of glutathione S-transferases in mouse heart and kidney.

Obesity may affect activity and/or expression of enzymes participating in xenobiotics' detoxification and antioxidant defense. This study sought to investigate the activities and expression of cardiac and renal glutathione S-transferase (GST) isoforms in order to reveal possible differences between obese and control mice. For this purpose, mice with monosodium glutamate (MSG)-induced obesity were used as an experimental model. Obesity was induced in newborn male mice by repeated s.c. administration of MSG. At 8 months of age, mice were sacrificed and specific activity, protein and mRNA expressions levels of GSTs were analyzed in their heart and kidney. In hearts of obese mice, specific activity of GST was decreased by 51% compared to control. This reduction was accompanied by a decline in GSTP-class protein and Gstp1/2 mRNA expression levels. In contrast, specific activity of GST was elevated by 31% in kidney of obese mice and this increase was accompanied by upregulation of GSTA-class protein and Gsta1/2 mRNA expressions. Increased capacity of renal GSTs together with GSTA upregulation may serve as compensatory mechanism against elevated oxidative stress, which accompanies obesity. On the other hand, decreased cardiac GST activity in obese mice and GSTP downregulation may worsen the defense against oxidative stress and harmful xenobiotics.