MACROSCOPIC INDEXES OF LIPID-PEROXIDATION IN CEREBRAL ISCHEMIA REPERFUSION - VALIDITY AND SENSITIVITY ENHANCEMENT IN TERMS OF CONJUGATED DIENE DETECTION/

Recent evidence for the occurrence of in vivo lipid peroxidation in th e context of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, as detected by classical t ests such thiobarbituric acid reactivity and conjugated diene absorban ce, is critically reviewed. Despite the widespread perception that lip id peroxidation is well-established and to be expected under such circ umstances, in general these detection methods have not been applied wi th rigor sufficient to prove the quantitative existence of lipid perox ides unequivocally. The development of sensitive methods which can be utilized in small tissue samples at early times after brain injury is needed. In particular, the conditions necessary for the establishment of a more rigorous and sensitive method of conjugated diene detection in terms of difference spectral analysis are detailed and illustrated. In addition, a new autofluorescence in the far-ultraviolet region is shown to be associated with oxygenated conjugated diene-containing com pounds. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.