EFFECT OF TJ-960 (A JAPANESE HERBAL MEDICINE) ON FREE-RADICAL CHANGESWITHIN AN IRON-INDUCED FOCAL EPILEPTOGENIC REGION IN RAT-BRAIN MEASURED BY IN-VIVO L-BAND ELECTRON-SPIN-RESONANCE

In vivo L-band electron spin resonance (ESR) system was used to measur e the decay of nitroxide radicals in the living rat cerebrum containin g a cortical area with an iron-induced epileptogenic region. Carbamoyl -PROXYL (3-carbamoyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-1-pyrrolinyloxy) was injected intraperitoneally. The decay of nitroxide radicals in the iron-inject ed regions at the subacute stage of epileptogenesis was prolonged. The Japanese herbal medicine, sho-saiko-to-go-keishi-ka-shakuyakuto (TJ-9 60), a compound known to have free radical scavenging activity, inhibi ted the delay of nitroxide radical decay in the rat cerebrum with an i ron-induced epileptic focus following injection of carbamoyl-PROXYL. T J-960 did not affect the decay of nitroxide radicals in the control ra ts' brain. These data show that TJ-960 has the scavenging activity for free radicals generated within an iron-induced epileptogenic regions of rat brain.