[Protective effect of radical scavengers on cerebral infarction--experimental study utilizing the spin trapping...

To evaluate the scavenging effect of mannitol, vitamin E and betamethasone in cerebral ischemia, spin trapping technique was applied to the detection of the free radicals generated in ischemic brain homogenate. Thirty Wistar rats were used for this study. In the control group, the brain homogenate prepared immediately after decapitation was preserved at 37 degrees C under N2 gas. Before the preservation and at 30 min, 60 min and 120 min from the start of the preservation, two reaction mixtures containing of spin trapping reagent phenyl-t-butyl nitrone (PBN), NADPH, Fe-EDTA and brain homogenate was prepared from each brain sample--one to be incubated for 20 min at 37 degrees C in air and one to be incubated in nitrogen gas under similar condition. Then the free radical adducts of PBN were measured by electron spin resonance (ESR). In pre-treated group, mannitol, vitamin E and betamethasone were administered intravenously 30 min prior to the decapitation and spin adducts of PBN were detected by same procedures as in control group. The ESR spectra, which hyperfine coupling constants were AN = 16.0-16.6 G and AH beta = 3.0-3.8 G, were obtained from the reaction mixtures in each group. Analyses of their relative intensity in control group revealed that the formation of free radical adducts of PBN was increased dependent on the preservation period under aerobic incubation, and increased gradually for 60 min of preservation time followed by a decrease under anaerobic incubation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)