Seasonal changes in the activity of antioxidative defense in the kidneys of the euthermic ground squirrel (Citellus citellus).

The aim of this work was to determine the activity of the antioxidant enzymes: superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1; SOD), catalase (EC 1.11.1.6; CAT), glutathione peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.9; GSH-Px), glutathione-S-transferase (EC 2.5.1.18; GST), glutathione reductase (EC 1.6.4.2; GR) and the low molecular mass antioxidants: ascorbic acid (ASA) and vitamin E (vit E) in the kidney of ground squirrels during circannual changes. Keeping the ground squirrel at the temperature of thermic neutrality (30 degrees C) provides a stable euthermic state during the whole year and thus any change is due to the circannual rhythm. The highest specific activity of all examined antioxidative defense enzymes in the kidney was found in the spring, when ground squirrels are seasonally the most active. In the summer, lower specific activity of GSH-Px as well as of SOD and CAT were noted and, when expressed per g wet mass, only a decrease in GSH-Px activity was recorded. In the kidney of ground squirrels kept at 30 degrees C, the lowest specific activity of all examined enzymes was found during the winter and, when expressed per g wet mass, only the SOD activity was lower than in the spring and summer. Higher amounts of vitamins C and E were found in the ground squirrel kidneys in the summer. The results obtained in this work demonstrate that circannual regulation of metabolic activity, which is inherent to seasonal hibernators, is also expressed at the level of antioxidative defense in the kidneys.