Lipid peroxidation associated protein damage in rat brain crude synaptosomal fraction mediated by iron and ascorbate

In crude synaptosomal fractions from rat brain exposed to iron and ascorbate, enhanced lipid peroxidation (more than 3-fold compared to control), loss of protein thiols up to the extent of 40% compared to control, increased incorporation of carbonyl groups into proteins (more than 4.5-fold compared to control) and non-disulphide covalent cross-linking of membrane proteins have been observed. The phenomena are not inhibited by catalase or hydroxyl radical scavengers like mannitol or dimethyl sulphoxide. However, chain breaking antioxidants like alpha-tocopherol and butylated hydroxytoluene prevent both lipid peroxidation and accompanying protein oxidation. It is suggested that in this system lipid peroxidation propagated by the decomposition of preformed lipid hydroperoxides by iron and ascorbate is the primary event and products of the peroxidation process cause secondary protein damage. In view of high ascorbate content of brain and availability of several transition metals, such ascorbate mediated oxidative damage may be relevant in the aetiopathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders as well as ageing of brain.     

The action of a homologous series of ubiquinols on lipid peroxidation in brain mitochondrial and synaptosomal membranes

The effects of inhibition of ubiquinols and ubiquinones with various length of isoprenoid chain on the lipid peroxidation in membranes of brain mitochondria and synaptosomes were studied. The efficiency of inhibition effects of ubiquinols depends on the length of isoprenoid chain. Ubiquinols with shorter isoprenoid chains demonstrated more effective inhibition.     

Lipid peroxidation in tissues during subliminal electrostimulation of limbic system structures in the brain

The experiments on rats have shown that during prolonged subliminal electrostimulation of limbic brain system structures peroxidation is enhanced in the blood and tissues (myocardium, liver, parodontium), with it being realized via activation of sympathoadrenal and hypothalamo-hypophyseal systems and stipulated by the failure of physiologic antioxidative mechanisms.     

Protein syntheis in brain mitochondrial and synaptosomal preparations

The anomolous protein synthesis, sensitive to cycloheximide, which has been observed in brain mitochondrial and synaptosomal preparations, has been studied. It is concluded that this protein synthesis is due to the presence, as a contaminant in both preparations, of a ribosome-containing particle which contains soluble enzymes and is limited by a plasma membrane.     

The effect of L-DOPA on the accumulation of lipid peroxidation products in separate brain structures during irradiation

A study was made of the effect of L-DOPA on the dynamics of changes in lipid peroxidation products (LPP) and the content of various types of SH groups in certain brain structures (oblongata, cerebellum, visual and sensorimotor cortex) and their synaptosomal fractions upon irradiation. The preadministration of L-DOPA to irradiated rats inhibited LPP accumulation, prevented the decrease in the content of various types of thiols and thus exerted an antioxidant effect.     

Lipid peroxidation in aging brain and Alzheimer's disease

Lipid peroxidation is one of the major outcomes of free radical-mediated injury that directly damages membranes and generates a number of secondary products, both from fission and endocyclization of oxygenated fatty acids that possess neurotoxic activity. Numerous studies have demonstrated increased lipid peroxidation in brain of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) compared with age-matched controls. These data include quantification of fission and endocyclized products such as 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, acrolein, isoprostanes, and neuroprostanes. Immunohistochemical and biochemical studies have localized the majority of lipid peroxidation products to neurons. A few studies have consistently demonstrated increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of isoprostanes in AD patients early in the course of their dementia, and one study has suggested that CSF isoprostanes may improve the laboratory diagnostic accuracy for AD. Similar analyses of control individuals over a wide range of ages indicate that brain lipid peroxidation is not a significant feature of usual aging. Quantification of isoprostanes in plasma and urine of AD patients has yielded inconsistent results. These results indicate that brain lipid peroxidation is a potential therapeutic target in probable AD patients, and that CSF isoprostanes may aid in the assessment of antioxidant experimental therapeutics and the laboratory diagnosis of AD.     

Lipid peroxidation in rabbit and rat visual system structures

In our work, the lipid peroxidation (LPO) in the retina, optic chiasma, and visual cortex of rat and rabbit brain was investigated. The contents of the LPO products (diene conjugates, triene conjugates, TBA-reactive products, Schiff bases) and oxidation index (calculated as 232/2 15) were similar in the retina and visual brain cortex of rats. In vivo, lipid oxidation in the optic chiasma was higher as compared with two other parts of visual tract. The similar data were obtained in our experiments with rabbit's visual tract. The sensitivity of tissues to peroxidation in vitro was studied in homogenates incubated with 0.2 mM ascorbate and 10 mkM FeSO4 for 20 min at 37 degrees C. The results of these experiments deviated from the data obtained in vivo, namely: the LPO in optic chiasma was lower than in the retina and the brain cortex. This data are in compliance with lipid composition of investigated parts of the visual tract of both animals. In our opinion, the high level of LPO in optic chiasma demonstrated in vivo is due to low antioxidants level in this part of the visual tract. Our findings also indicate that LPO in retina both in vivo and in vitro experiments are similar to those in the brain cortex and may be attributed to similar lipid composition and activity of antioxidant enzymes (such as superoxiddismutasa and glutathionereductase).     

Lipid peroxidation in external and internal mitochondrial membranes during anoxia

Accumulation of lipid peroxidation (LPO) products was investigated in external and internal membranes of mitochondria with anoxia. The increase in LPO intensity in mitochondria membranes during hypoxia was shown to be more expressed in external membranes, with an active involvement of phospholipase A2 in the process revealed. Greater LPO intensity and lability of lysosomal membranes caused by contacts with mitochondria with anoxia have been established.     

Synthesis and release of prostaglandins by rat brain synaptosomal fractions.

Abstract— Particulate fractions from rat brain homogenate containing the synaptosomes synthesize and release prostaglandins F and E on aerobic incubation. The prostaglandin of the F-typc released could be further identified as proslaglandin F_2α using specific radioimmunoassays for prostaglandins F_1α, and F_2α-. The metabolite 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-prostaglandin F_2α could not be detected. The amount of prostaglandins released is dependent on incubation time and temperature as well as pH and osmolarity of the incubation medium. Total brain homogenate released more prostaglandins than purified synaptosomes per mg protein, indicating that synaptosomes are probably not a main source of prostaglandins when compared with other subcellular brain fractions. While prostaglandin synthesis was only moderately increased by the addition of the precursor fatty acid arachidonic acid, anti-inflammatory drugs like indomethacin, high concentrations of some local anaesthetics and Δ¹-tetrahydrocannabinol inhibited prostaglandin release. The neurotransmitters noradrenaline, dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine did not influence prostaglandin release from the synaptosomal rat brain fractions.     

Lipid peroxidation and the polymerase activities of liver chromatin fractions in rats during aging

Lipids, which enter the composition of actively transcribed and repressed chromatin fractions are found to undergo a peroxidation. This process decreased with aging and more pronounced in actively transcribed chromatin fraction. A decreased activity of DNA polymerase beta and increased activity of RNA polymerase I in this chromatin fraction with aging were observed. It is assumed that observed changes of genome function of old animals may be caused by decreased peroxidation of chromatin lipids.     

Lipid peroxidation changes in the brain in fetal alcohol syndrome]

The study was performed upon three groups of 12-week-old male rats. The first group of rats received ethanol/9 g/kg/day as 6% aqueous solution/during pregnancy and lactation, the second group received ethanol only during lactation and the third group, controls, received equicaloric sucrose solution. The concentrations of LPO products were determined in the homogenates of tissue from frontal cortex, striatum, hypothalamus, hippocamp and cerebellum. The concentration of fluorescent products in the brain structures of rats treated perinatally with ethanol was several-fold increased as compared with controls. The levels of diene conjugates were increased in most brain structures of rats with FAS. It should be pointed out that there was the same degree of increase of the levels of both fluorescent products and diene conjugates in two groups of rats with FAS. Having in mind that in the rat the increased growth of the brain occurs during the first 10 postnatal days, it might be assumed that this period is favorable for LPO.     

Lipid peroxidation and the endogenous DNA polymerase activity of fractions of isolated liver chromatin in rats

Lipids which enter the composition of actively transcribed and repressed chromatin fractions are found to undergo a peroxidation. The peroxidation induction results in a depression of the endogenous DNA polymerase activity of these fractions. Tetrachloromethane increases the intensity of lipid peroxidation processes and induces a more marked depression of the DNA polymerase activity in all repressed chromatin fractions. It is assumed that selective action of tetrachloromethane on the studied indices of this chromatin fraction may be related to the differences of lipid composition of actively transcribed and repressed chromatin.     

Determination of hydrophobicity of myelinic,synaptosomal, and mitochondrial surfaces in the rat brain

The hydrophobicity of myelinic, synaptosomal and mitochondrial surfaces in the rat brain was measured using the nonionic surfactant, C₁₈H₃₇O(CH₂CH₂O)₁₃H. This method is based on the adsorption of the hydrophobic alkyl group of the surfactant by the hydrophobic sites on the surfaces. Each preparations was mixed with an excess of the surfactant and the surfactant remaining in the supernatants was determined spectrophotometrically by measuring the absorbance of tetrabromophenolphthalein ethylester at 690 nm. The greatest amount was adsorbed by myelin, followed by synaptosomes and mitochondria. The hydrophobicity is shown to be a reflection of the surface lipids. This method showed good reproducibility and was useful for the quantitative determination of hydrophobicity.     

Lipid peroxidation-induced changes in physical properties of annular lipids in rat brain synaptosomal membranes

The effects of lipid peroxidation (LPO) on the physical state (fluidity) of the rat brain synaptosomal lipid bilayer matrix and the annular lipid domains were investigated using the fluorescent probe pyrene. The parameters of pyrene fluorescence intensity alpha = IE/IM were measured at excitation wavelengths 280 nm and 340 nm (alpha 280 and alpha 340), reflecting fluidity of lipid bilayer matrix and annular lipids, respectively. LPO induction was shown to result in changes of fluidity of both the bilayer and annular lipids. Upon reducing formation of LPO products by carnosine, fluidity changes of both the lipid bilayer matrix and annular lipids were diminished. Conformational changes of the annular lipid domain by LPO may therefore be considered as a possible cause of the functional changes in the receptor mediated responses and of the inactivation of membrane-bound enzymes by oxidative stress.     

Effect of hypoxia and ischemia on the distribution of protein in brain cellular fractions

The effect of postdecapitative ischemia (5 min at 37°) and hypoxia (5% O₂, 95% N₂, 30 min) on the distribution of protein radioactivity in the cellular fractions of guinea pig cerebral cortex was studied. Ischemic conditions resulted in the increase of total radioactivity level and protein content in the mitochondrial fraction. In the cytosol the opposite effect was observed; the radioactivity and protein content were decreased. The amino acid analysis of microsomal proteins and the distribution of glucose-6-phosphatase activity, differing from those in control animals, suggest structural disturbances in the microsomal fraction. The results indicate a different sedimentation of proteins in the given experimental conditions. After hypoxia such effects were not observed.     

Enzymatic lipid peroxidation and oxidative metabolism of aminazine in brain microsomal fractions]

NAD (P) H-dependent enzymic systems, both of lipid peroxidation and chlorpromazine oxidative metabolism are shown to be localized in the microsomal fractions from human and rat brain. Hydroxy-derivatives of chlorpromazine (e.g. 7-OH-chlorpromazine) formed in the course of enzymic NADPH-dependent metabolism possess antioxidant activity and inhibit lipid peroxidation in the brain microsomes. The properties of enzymic NAD (P) H-dependent oxigenase systems in the membranes of the microsomal reticulum of the liver and brain are compared.