FTIR microspectroscopic analysis of the effects of certain drugs on oxidative stress and brain protein structure.

This study reports the changes in lipids and proteins of different brain areas of nicotine, D+-amphetamine, and nicotine and D+-amphetamine treated rats by monitoring lipid peroxidation and protein beta-sheet formation using infrared microspectroscopy. Compared with the untreated brain samples, the peroxide level is relatively higher in the amphetamine-treated brain sections, both in the cortex and hippocampus area. However, this peroxide increase is attenuated when administering amphetamine plus nicotine. Analogous drug-dependent trends for protein beta-sheet content are observed, which suggests a connection between lipid oxidation involved in oxidative stress and beta-sheet protein structure generally present in neurodegenerative diseases. The above property of nicotine is of interest, in the sense that it might reduce the production of beta-amyloid proteins in Alzheimer's disease.