Antioxidants Selectively Protecting Neurochemical Functions in Rats Overproducing Reactive Oxygen Species

Impairment of long-term memory is characteristic of aging and some neurodegenerative diseases associated with the increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). An inbred OXYS rat strain was developed from Wistar rats with an inherited overproduction of ROS, manifesting impairment of long-term memory and oxidative damage of cell structures and functions. A highly inbred OYXR strain harboring oxidative patterns close to normal Wistar rats served as a control. Alterations of brain neurochemical functions in OXYS rats and the possibility of protecting them with different antioxidants were studied. Assaying the oxidative DNA lesion, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanine (8-OHdG), and lipid peroxidation-induced etheno-DNA adducts in rat liver DNA indicated a high oxidative stress in OXYS rats. We found that the Na/K-ATPase activity, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, and the integrity of sulfhydryl (SH) groups, parameters associated with memory-related neurochemical mechanisms, were altered in OXYS rat brains comp...