Adjuvant arthritis in rats, as rheumatoid arthritis in humans, may be of greater or lesser severity, namely polyarthritis and monoarthritis, respectively. The present study was planned to evaluate the oxidative changes in the blood and specifically in the serum albumin of rats with adjuvant-induced mono- and poly-arthritis. Total antioxidant capacity, thiols, carbonyl groups, albumin, uric acid and ascorbic acid were measured in the total serum. The specific oxidative status of albumin was also measured after separation by affinity chromatography. All serum oxidative parameters were close to normal in monoarthritic rats with the exception of the ascorbic acid concentration, which was 23 % lower, and albumin carbonyl groups, which were 64 % higher. Many modifications were found in polyarthritic rats, specially the ascorbic acid concentration (35 % lower) and albumin carbonyl groups (102 % higher). The results revealed that the levels of ascorbic acid in the serum and carbonyl groups in the albumin molecule can be regarded as indicators of the severity of arthritis since they were modified by both monoarthritis and polyarthritis, but to different degrees.

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of fructose consumption during the peri-pubertal period on the later onset of metabolic syndrome in rats. Additionally, the study sought to explore the potential of moderate-intensity physical training as a non-pharmacological approach to mitigate the fructose effects. Male rats, 30 days old, received 10% fructose, and were submitted to concomitant moderate-intensity training until 60 days old. They were divided into 4 groups: sedentary control (SC), sedentary fructose (SF), trained control (TC), and trained fructose (TF). Fructose consumption mainly affected adult animals, resulting in glucose intolerance, increased periepididymal fat, and increased total cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin levels. Furthermore, these rats exhibited reduced sympathetic nerve activity. The moderate running led to a decrease in periepididymal and retroperitoneal adipose tissue, as well as a reduction in total cholesterol and improved glucose tolerance. Peri-pubertal rats that received combination treatments exhibited lower levels of glucose and insulin during an intraperitoneal glucose tolerance test. The results indicate that 10% fructose supplementation during peripuberty predisposes to metabolic syndrome in adulthood. However, simultaneous moderate-intensity exercise training attenuates these effects and induces positive changes in glycemic homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and autonomic nervous system activity.