The Influence of Fluoride Ions upon Selected Enzymes of Protein Metabolism in Blood Plasma of Rabbits with Hypercholesterolemia

Three-month studies were performed on 18 adult rabbits of New Zealand breed divided into three groups, with six animals in each: a control group on standard diet, a cholesterol group receiving 500 mg of cholesterol/100 g of feed per rabbit per 24 h (CH group), and a cholesterol + fluorine group (CH + F group) receiving 500 mg of cholesterol/100 g of feed per rabbit per 24 h and 3 mg of F(-)/kg of body weight per 24 h. The conducted studies proved that cholesterol in the applied dosage (500 mg cholesterol per rabbit per 24 h) has an atherogenic action. Fluoride ions administered together with a 500-mg cholesterol atherogenic diet inhibit the atheromatosic changes in the aorta. The concentration of plasma cholesterol was elevated in both study groups when compared to the control group but decreased in the CH + F group when compare to the CH group. The influence of fluoride ions has been examined upon the activity of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) in the plasma in the liver of rabbits in the course of experimental hypercholesterolemia. Increase in the activity of study enzymes has been observed in the blood plasma, which may be due to damage occurring to hepatocytes of the animals examined (a statistically significant increase in the activity of GLDH in the plasma). In the liver, the inhibition of activity for all examined enzymes has been observed in the group of rabbits with hypercholesterolemia, which testifies the disturbances in protein metabolism in examined animals. The addition of sodium fluoride to the diet rich in cholesterol results in "removing the block" on those activities, which increase. We suppose that the permeability of the hepatocyte membrane was elevated, so the activities of examined enzymes increased in the plasma ("escape" to plasma). On the one hand, fluoride ions result in probable lesion of hepatocytes membranes; on the other hand, they inhibit the atheromatosic changes in the aorta.