FLAVONOIDS FROM GRAPE SEEDS PREVENT INCREASED ALCOHOL-INDUCED NEURONAL LIPOFUSCIN FORMATION

In a previous study, we found that prolonged oxidative stress produced by chronic ethanol consumption leads to an increased formation of lipofuscin in hippocampal and cerebellar neurons. This pigment is an end-result of lipid peroxidation. Flavanols, which abound in the human diet, are known to exert a powerful in-vitro antioxidant action. Therefore, to evaluate whether these compounds might display beneficial effects in the rat brain, we examined whether or not these natural antioxidants would impede neuronal ethanol-induced lipofuscin accumulation.