Antioxidants in brain and the effect of hypoxia.

In the first part of our experiments we investigated the ascorbic acid content in five areas of the brain in 11 age groups of rats aged 1 to 90 postnatal days. In the area of the olfactory lobe the values vary within the range of 2.9-4.5 mmol/kg fresh weight, with a significant drop on the 21st, 35th and 90th day. In the cerebral cortex the scatter of values was similar with a significant drop on the 21st and 90th day. From the hippocampal area varying values were obtained, the drop on the 5th, 12th, 15th, 21st, 35th and 90th day being significant. The curve of the ascorbic acid content in the area of the vermis cerebelli has the typical shape of a wave. The initial drop is followed by a rise with the maximum on the 18th day. A significant drop was observed on the 5th, 7th and 90th day, a significant rise on the 12th, 15th, 18th and 21st day. In the area of the medulla oblongata the lowest ascorbic acid values in our experiment were recorded. A significant drop was observed on the 5th, 21 st, 35th and 90th day, a significant rise on the 18th day. All significances are referred to one-day old rats. In the second part of our experiments we studied the influence of acute and chronic hypoxia on the ascorbic acid content in liver, adrenal, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid and brain in 18-day-old rats. Due to acute hypoxia a significant decrease in ascorbic acid concentration in the adrenal occurred. Its levels in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid increased significantly compared with controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)