Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Brain damage occurs in many clinical conditions, including trauma, ischemia, and hypertension. Reactive oxygen products and lipid peroxidation are responsible for the brain damage that occurs in these clinical conditions. We investigated whether MCI-186 (3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-pyrazoline-5-one), a free radical binding agent on lipid peroxidation, affects malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels in traumatic brain damage. METHODS: The traumatic brain damage model, modified by Feeney, was performed on 28 male Wistar rats separated into 4 groups. The MDA, GSH, and GPx levels in the brain tissues of each group were studied. RESULTS: MDA levels in the traumatized group were significantly higher than those in the sham and MCI-186 groups (p<0.05), while GSH levels were significantly higher in the sham group than in the trauma and solvent groups (p<0.05). No significant difference was observed between the sham and MCI-186 groups (p>0.05). Although the average GPx level was higher in the sham and MCI-186 groups, no significant difference was found between groups. CONCLUSION: Reactive oxidation products significantly decreased in the MCI-186 group. Thus, MCI-186 can be used as a free radical-binding agent in traumatic brain damage.