Effect of aminoguanidine on visual evoked potentials (VEPs), antioxidant status and lipid peroxidation in rats exposed to chronic restraint stress

• Published in: Brain research 2007-12, Vol.1186, p.87-94
• Main Authors: Akpinar, Deniz, Yargicoglu, Piraye, Derin, Narin, Aslan, Mutay, Agar, Aysel
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aminoguanidine; Animals; Antioxidant enzyme; Antioxidants - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - metabolism; Catalase - metabolism; Central nervous system; Electrophysiology; Evoked Potentials, Visual - drug effects; Evoked Potentials, Visual - physiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glutathione Peroxidase - metabolism; Guanidines - pharmacology; Lipid peroxidation; Lipid Peroxidation - physiology; Male; Neurology; Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology; Nitrates - metabolism; Nitrites - metabolism; Oxidative Stress - physiology; Random Allocation; Rats; Restraint stress; Restraint, Physical; Retina - metabolism; Stress, Psychological - metabolism; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances - metabolism; VEPs; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Visual Pathways - drug effects; Visual Pathways - metabolism; Visual Pathways - physiopathology
• ISSN: 0006-8993; 1872-6240
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2007.09.066

Abstract The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of aminoguanidine (AG) on visual evoked potentials (VEPs), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), the activities of Cu, Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu,Zn-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and catalase (CAT), and nitrite/nitrate levels. Forty healthy male Wistar rats, aged 3 months, were divided into four equal groups: Control (C), the group treated with aminoguanidine (A), the group exposed to restraint stress (S), the group exposed to restraint stress and treated with aminoguanidine (AS). Chronic restraint stress was applied for 21 days (1 h/day) and aminoguanidine (50 mg/kg/day) was injected intraperitonally to the A and AS groups for the same period. Aminoguanidine treatment significantly decreased retina and brain TBARS levels in rats exposed to restraint stress compared to rats exposed to restraint stress alone. Aminoguanidine treatment produced a significant decrease in brain and retina nitrite and nitrate levels with respect to the control groups. Aminoguanidine increased all antioxidant enzyme activities in both brain and retina in rats exposed to restraint stress compared to rats exposed to restraint stress alone. All VEP components were significantly decreased in AG treated rats exposed to restraint stress compared to rats exposed to restraint stress alone. Our study clearly showed that AG has the potential to prevent changes caused by stress.