The effects of different light spectrum on some oxidative stress parameters in male and female rats

The objective of this study was to investigate oxidative stress parameters in plasma, liver, and brain of Sprague Dawley rats grown under a compact fluorescent lamp with purple, blue, green, yellow, orange, red, and white. For this purpose, 56 male and 56 female rats were housed in standard cages under seven different light colors from weaning until puberty. Malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in plasma, liver, and brain were examined as oxidative stress parameters. Two factors which are gender and light were investigated regarding the main effects by Two-way ANOVA with the General Linear Model procedure. The different light spectrums had a significant impact on MDA, GSH and, GPx of plasma, liver, and brain (P<0.05). The red group resulted the highest in plasma, liver, and brain MDA. In addition, some of the examined parameters were different for the gender basis. The plasma GSH, the liver MDA, the liver and brain GPx were different in male and female rats (P<0.05). Only the liver GPx enzyme activity was higher in male rats, the other parameters in the female rats had a higher value. In conclusion, low-wavelength lights may be more useful for rats’ environments when compared to high wavelengths in manner oxidative stress. However, illumination is not the sole phenomenon for raising animals. Environmental demands may vary from time to time and even according to gender. Moreover, it may be useful for studies to be conducted by considering other lighting factors such as intensity and cycle.