Anti-oxidant enzymes in the brain of newborn piglets during ischemia followed by reperfusion.

The activity of anti-oxidant enzymes in the brains of newborn piglets were studied under the condition of ischemic hypoxia followed by reperfusion. The activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, was determined in the brain tissue of control animals and animals exposed to 60 min of hypoxia followed by 30 min of normoxia. The results showed that the activities of these enzymes were not significantly affected by hypoxia and subsequent reperfusion, suggesting that under these conditions the anti-oxidant system is not a target for, nor is its inhibition a cause of, cellular damage. It is proposed that the anti-oxidant enzyme system in the brain is non-responsive to and may not play a role during hypoxia/ischemia and subsequent reperfusion.