Inhibition of lipid peroxidation by some dihydropyridine derivatives.

The efficacy of dihydropyridine derivatives in inhibiting lipid peroxidation was studied using modified Buege and Aust's method. The method first involves keeping a decapitated rat head at 37 degrees C for 30 min in order to induce global ischemia. Then, the cortex is removed and homogenized, and the homogenate is subsequently exposed to air for 30 min for reoxygenation. Finally, the amount of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBAR) is measured. With this method, nisoldipine, nimodipine, nitrendipine, nifedipine and nicardipine were all shown to have an antioxidant activity that correlated with their lipophilicity, which was determined by their octanol/water partition coefficients.