Post-transcriptional control of catalase expression in garlic-treated rats

Regulation of catalase (CAT) expression, a major antioxidant enzyme that detoxifies H2O2, is very complex. Garlic is effective to prevent or ameliorate oxidative stress probably through its intrinsic antioxidant properties and/or to its ability to modify antioxidant enzyme expression. In this paper we studied the effect of a 2% garlic diet on the renal and hepatic CAT expression (mRNA levels, and enzyme activity, content, synthesis, and degradation). The study was made 2 weeks after feeding rats with a 2% garlic diet. CAT activity and content were measured by a spectrophotometric method and Western blot, respectively. CAT mRNA levels and CAT synthesis (k(S)) and degradation (k(D)) in vivo were measured by Northern blot and kinetic of reappearance of CAT activity after aminotriazole injection, respectively. Garlic-treatment decreased CAT activity and content, and CAT mRNA levels were unchanged in both tissues. k(S) decreased and k(D) remained unchanged in kidney and liver. The decrease in k(S) without changes in k(D) and CAT mRNA levels could explain the low CAT expression in garlic-fed rats. In vivo H2O2 generation in kidney and liver was markedly decreased in garlic-fed rats which could be due to a direct antioxidant effect of garlic. This may be the initial event in the garlic-fed rats that leads to the decreased CAT expression. Our data strongly suggest that the diminished renal and hepatic CAT expression in garlic-fed rats is mediated by post-transcriptional changes (mainly low translational efficiency) which could be an adaptation to the low H2O2.