Age-Related Peculiarities of Glutathione Antioxidant System Dynamics in Response to Cranio-Skeletal Trauma and Effectiveness of Cell Therapy

Introduction. In the modern urbanized society, people of all age groups are at high risk of suffering from combined cranio-skeletal trauma (CST). Oxidative stress plays a key role in the pathogenesis of CST. Reduced glutathione (GSH) is one of the antioxidants that prevents the formation of free radicals. In order to prevent secondary damage to the brain and internal organs in the case of trauma, the effect of cell therapy is being actively studied. The aim of the study. To determine the age-related peculiarities of glutathione antioxidant system dynamics in response to cranio-skeletal trauma and to evaluate the effectiveness of cell therapy. Materials and methods. Male white Wistar line rats of three age groups were used in the experiments: immature, mature, and old. The rats of each age group were modeled with CST. After 1, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 days, the content of GSH was determined in the liver homogenate extract. For the purpose of correction, a suspension of cryopreserved neuroblast cells (NBC) was intravenously injected individually and in combination with intraperitoneal injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). The effectiveness of the therapy was evaluated after 14 days of experiment. Results. Among rats of different ages under conditions of CST, compared with the control, the content of GSH in the liver significantly decreased at all studied periods of the post-traumatic period. After 3, 14, 21, and 28 days of the post-traumatic period, with increasing age, the absolute value of the index became statistically significantly lower and the degree of its decrease increased. The use of NBC monotherapy in comparison with rats without correction was accompanied by the protection of GSH content in the liver of immature and mature rats. Combined NBC+MSC therapy was accompanied by a similar effect among rats of all age groups. Both after NBC monotherapy and combination therapy, the degree of increase in the liver GSH content was significantly higher among mature rats compared to immature and old rats. Conclusions. Experimental cranio-skeletal trauma among rats of different ages compared to controls leads to a decrease in the content of reduced glutathione in the liver, which significantly prevails among old rats. The combined use of cryopreserved neuroblast cells and mesenchymal stem cells in the case of cranio-skeletal trauma is accompanied by significantly higher deposition of reduced glutathione in the liver among rats of all age groups. The degree of increase in the index prevails in the group of mature rats compared to rats without correction.