O. V. Ketsa*, M. O. Zelinska, M. M. Marchenko

Fedkovich Chernovtsy National University, Chernovtsy, Ukraine;
*e-mail: o.ketsa@chnu.edu.ua

Received: 12 August 2021; Accepted: 21 January 2022

The effect of laser irradiation of rats combined with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) administration on the proteins oxidative modification and superoxide dismutase and catalase activity in the mitochondrial fraction of the liver was investigated. Animals were irradiated with a 650 nm laser diode in the abdomen daily for 4 min at the distance of 10 cm from the skin surface. ω-3 PUFA were administered per os at a daily dose of 120 mg/kg of the body weight. Fatty acids in the fish oil were identified by gas chromatography. Animals were divided into five groups (12 animals in each group): I – intact rats (control); II – rats exposed to the daily laser irradiation for 7 or 14 days ; III – rats that received ω-3 PUFA two hours after irradiation; IV – rats that received ω-3 PUFA two hours before irradiation; V – rats that received ω-3 PUFA for 7 days before irradiation. The mitochondrial fraction of rat liver was obtained by differential centrifugation. The increase in the content of protein carbonyl derivatives and a decrease of protein thiol groups in the liver mitochondrial fraction were detected after seven-day laser irradiation of rats. As the duration of irradiation increases, superoxide dismutase and catalase activity was decreased, indicating a depletion of mitochondrial antioxidant reserves. No antioxidant effect was observed when ω-3 PUFA were administrated after laser irradiation and a slight antioxidant effect was shown when ω-3 PUFA were administrated two hours before irradiation. Preliminary seven-day administration ω-3 PUFA before laser irradiation was the most effective, as it reduced the level of protein carbonyl derivatives and O₂^•--generation, increased proteins SH-groups content and antioxidant enzymes activity.