Regional difference of ROS generation, lipid peroxidaton, and antioxidant enzyme activity in rat brain and their dietary modulation

One of the potential causes of age-related neuronal damage can be reactive oxygen species (ROS), as the brain is particularly sensitive to oxidative d amage. In the present study, we investigated the effects of aging and dieta ry restriction (DR) on ROS generation, lipid peroxidation, and antioxidant enzymes in cerebrum, hippocampus, and cerebellum of 6-, 12- 18-, and 24-mon th-old rats. ROS generation significantly increased with age in cerebrum of ad libitum (AL) rats. However, no significant age-difference was observed in hippocampus and cerebellum. DR significantly decreased ROS generation in cerebrum and cerebellum at 24-months. On the other hand, the increased lip id peroxidation of AL rats during aging was significantly reduced by DR in all regions. Our results further showed that catalase activity decreased wi th age in cerebellum of AL rats, which was reversed by DR, although SOD act ivity had little change by aging and DR in all regions. In a similar way, g lutathione (GSH) peroxidase activity increased with age in cerebrum of AL r ats, while DR suppressed it at 24-months. These data further support the ev idence that the vulnerability to oxidative stress in the brain is region-sp ecific.