IMMOBILIZATION STRESS CAUSES OXIDATIVE DAMAGE TO LIPID, PROTEIN, AND DNA IN THE BRAIN OF RATS

Immobilization stress of male Sprague-Dawley rats induces oxidative da mage to lipid, protein, and DNA in the brain, Significant increases in lipid peroxidation were found in the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hip pocampus, and midbrain compared to the unstressed controls, Significan t increases in levels of protein oxidation were also found in the cort ex, hypothalamus, striatum, and medulla oblongata, Oxidative nuclear D NA damage increased after stress in all brain regions, although only t he cerebral cortex showed a significant increase, Depletion of glutath ione showed some stimulation to oxidative damage in the unstressed con trol and stressed animals, Further studies of the mitochondrial and cy tosol fractions of cerebral cortex demonstrated that mitochondria show ed a significantly greater increase in lipid peroxidation and protein oxidation than cytosol, Data from plasma and liver showed oxidative da mage similar to that of the brain, These findings provide evidence to support the idea that stress produces oxidants, and that the oxidative damage in stress could contribute to the degenerative diseases of agi ng, including brain dysfunction.