INCREASE IN CATALASE ACTIVITY IN DEVELOPING RAT-BRAIN CELL REAGGREGATION CULTURES IN THE PRESENCE OF ETHANOL

The aim of this investigation was to study the effects of ethanol on a ntioxidant enzymes in the developing brain, using reaggregation cultur es of fetal rat brain cells as a model. The cultures were grown in the presence of 20 and 40 mM ethanol from day 2 until day 44 of the cultu re period, corresponding to a period in vivo from gestational day 17 t o postnatal day 37. The catalase (EC 1.11.1.6) activity was consistent ly increased at all observation periods, from culture day 11 to day 44 , by both doses of ethanol, and an immunoblot showed that the amount o f catalase protein was markedly increased. The activities of manganese and copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (EC 1.15.1.1) and glutathione pe roxidase (EC 1.11.1.9) were largely unaffected.