Free radical scavenging systems in developing rat brain

Abstract

Because the developing brain is subject to high oxygen tension and lacks a functional blood-brain barrier, anti-oxidant protection is important to development in the brain. The levels of superoxide dismutase, copper-zinc superoxide dismutase. manganese superoxide dismutase. catalase, glutathione and related enzymes, namely, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase were determined in rat brain at various stages of development. The levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive products, indicative of lipid peroxidation, were very low at birth and increased to adult levels by the 16th day after birth. Brain glutathione levels displayed significant variations during the first 2 weeks after birth but not thereafter. Catalase activity in developing brain slowly increased over 45 days. Total superoxide dismutase activity in 1-day-old rat brain, 80% of the adult rat brain level, subsequently decreased on day 6. Total superoxide dismutase activity, however, increased again in 10-day-old rats and remained constant thereafter. While the developmental pattern of manganese superoxide dismutase was similar to that of the total superoxide dismutase, the copper-zinc superoxide dismutase levels were low at birth and reached adult levels on the 10th day after birth. There was no variation in glutathione reductase and peroxidase levels except for a decrease on day 16 of glutathione reductase and slow increase in adult levels by day 28. The present findings suggest that the overall levels of antioxidant enzymes in the developing brain are comparable to a large extent to those present in the adult brain. In contrast to the developing brain, hepatic levels of glutathione, total superoxide dismutase, manganese superoxide dismutase are significantly lower at birth and increase during development.