Oxidative Brain Injury Induced by Amiodarone in Rats: Protective Effect of S-methyl Methionine Sulfonium Chloride.

Amiodarone (AMD) is a powerful antiarrhythmic drug preferred for treatments of tachycardias. Brain can be affected negatively when some drugs are used, including antiarrhythmics. S-methyl methionine sulfonium chloride (MMSC) is a well-known sulfur containing substance and a novel powerful antioxidant. It was intended to investigate the protective effects of MMSC on amiodarone induced brain damage. Rats were divided to four groups as follows, control (given corn oil), MMSC (50 mg/kg per day), AMD (100 mg/kg per day), AMD (100 mg/kg per day) + MMSC (50 mg/kg per day). The brain glutathione and total antioxidant levels, catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, paraoxonase, and Na+/K+-ATPase activities were decreased, lipid peroxidation and protein carbonyl, total oxidant status, oxidative stress index and reactive oxygen species levels, myeloperoxidase, acetylcholine esterase and lactate dehydrogenase activities were increased after AMD treatment. Administration of MMSC reversed these results. We can conclude that MMSC ameliorated AMD induced brain injury probably due to its antioxidant and cell protective effect.