Effects of long-term consumption of standard diets including glucose-lysine model glycated compounds on the antioxidant status of adult rats

Our purpose was to evaluate the uptake of antioxidant capacity (AC) in rats fed long-term a diet containing commonly consumed Maillard reaction products (MRPs) from the glucose-lysine system. The effects on the oxidative status of liver, biceps brachii muscle and serum were also tested. The presence of model MRPs in the diet, especially melanoidins, led to a significantly higher intake (24.0 μmol Trolox/day), faecal excretion (0.604 μmol Trolox/day), and uptake (23.4 μmol Trolox/day) of AC, although the uptake rate remained stable compared to the control group (97.5%). Consumption of the assayed MRPs did not affect the hepatic antioxidant defence while some positive modifications, like an increase in glutathione peroxidase, were detected in muscle (29%) and serum (400%). This pointed to an improved antioxidant capacity. Despite the interesting findings for these specific MRPs, attention must be paid to the overall consumption of MRPs from different sources in a conventional diet, due to their implications in the development/advance of many disorders.