Benfotiamine supplementation prevents oxidative stress in anterior tibialis muscle and heart

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the influence of oral supplementation with benfotiamine on oxidative stress in the liver, heart and muscles of endurance-trained mice.Methods: Twenty-five male BALB/c mice were allocated to the following treatment groups: standard diet and sedentary activity(Sta–Sed), benfotiamine–supplemented diet and sedentary activity(Ben–Sed),standard diet and training activity(Sta–Tr) and benfotiamine–supplemented diet and training activity(Ben–Tr). The training comprised 6 weeks of endurance swimming training. The concentration of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances(TBARS), carbonylated proteins, total thiols and non-protein thiols was analyzed in the liver, heart and tibialis anterior muscle.Results: In the muscle, TBARS concentration in the Sta–Sed group was higher than that in other groups;in the heart, TBARS concentration in the Sta–Sed and Ben–Tr groups was higher than that in the Ben–Sed group. The carbonyl content of the muscle tissues was higher in the Sta–Sed group than in both supplemented groups. In liver, the carbonyl content was lower in the Ben–Sed group than in the Sta–Sed group.The level of total thiols was lower in the Ben–Sed group than in the Sta–Tr group. In the heart, the level of total thiols was higher in the Ben–Sed group than in the Ben–Tr group. The concentration of non-protein thiols in the muscle was higher in the Ben–Sed group than in the Ben–Tr group, whereas in the heart, concentration of non-protein thiols of Sta–Tr group was lower than that of Sta–Sed group.Conclusion: The results show that benfotiamine is an efficient antioxidant for the anterior tibialis muscle and heart;however, swimming training did not alter redox status.