Glutaric acid induces oxidative stress in brain of young rats.

This study investigated the effects of glutaric acid, which predominantly accumulates in glutaric acidemia type I, on some in vitro parameters of oxidative stress in brain of young rats. We evaluated chemiluminescence, total radical-antioxidant potential (TRAP) and the activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in brain tissue homogenates in the presence of glutaric acid at concentrations ranging from 0.05 to 2.0 mM. The acid significantly increased chemiluminescence (up to 65%) and reduced total radical-antioxidant potential (up to 28%) and glutathione peroxidase activity (up to 46%), without affecting catalase and superoxide dismutase activities. The results provide evidence that glutaric acid induces oxidative stress in vitro in rat brain. If these findings also occur in humans, it is possible that they may contribute to the neuropathology of patients affected by glutaric acidemia type I.