Monitoring thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) as an assay for oxidative damage in neuronal cultures and central nervous system.

Oxidative stress is a pivotal factor in neuronal degeneration. A simple method to quantify oxidative damage in culture and in situ is therefore important for studies of neurodegeneration. We present herein modifications of the standard assay for thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) for analyses of both cell cultures and brain tissue homogenates. Since the TBAR assay measures end-point oxidative damage, it is useful to assess the overall impact of oxidative stress-inducing and neuroprotective agents; interpretation is not potentially confounded by the presence or absence of transient products of oxidative damage.