DECREASE OF IMMUNOREACTIVE CATALASE PROTEIN IN SPECIFIC AREAS OF AGING RAT-BRAIN

The activity of catalase, the main enzyme responsible for detoxificati on against hydrogen peroxide, decreases in specific brain areas of age d rats. The reduction of enzyme activity appears to be the consequence of a decreased protein expression rather than an impaired function of the native enzyme. In fact, diminution of the immunoreactive protein parallels enzyme activity decrease. Since the extent of decrease of bo th activity and protein content was observed to be area dependent, we hypothesise that this phenomenon may underlie, at least in part, the i ncreased susceptibility of specific brain regions to oxidative insults observed in pathological situations related to ageing. (C) 1997 Elsev ier Science Ireland Ltd.