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Differential Changes in Superoxide Dismutase Activity in Brain and Liver of Old Rats and Mice
Author(s) -
Danh Hung Cao,
Benedetti Margherita Strolin,
Dostert Philippe
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
journal of neurochemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.75
H-Index - 229
eISSN - 1471-4159
pISSN - 0022-3042
DOI - 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1983.tb08084.x
Subject(s) - superoxide dismutase , endocrinology , medicine , hypothalamus , striatum , cerebral cortex , chemistry , enzyme , dismutase , central nervous system , enzyme assay , cortex (anatomy) , biology , biochemistry , oxidative stress , neuroscience , dopamine
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was measured in the brain and liver of 24–26‐ and 3‐month‐old rats. No significant age‐related differences in Cu/Zn‐SOD activity were found in any of the tissues studied. A small but significant increase in total SOD activity was observed in the whole brain (10‐20%), cerebral cortex (11%), and hypothalamus (18%) of old rats, whereas a much more important increase in Mn‐SOD activity was found in the whole brain (48%), cerebral cortex (70%), striatum (60%), and hypothalamus (30%). The increase of Mn‐SOD activity in the brain of old rats suggests the enzyme may play an important role in the process of aging. Mn‐SOD is found only in the mitochondrion, which could be an important site of oxygen free radical production, and a significant increase in the enzyme activity was also found in the lung of hypoxic rats. A significant decrease in total SOD and Mn‐SOD activity was observed in the liver of old rats. Preliminary experiments in 23–24‐month‐old mice similarly showed an increase and a decrease in total SOD and Mn‐SOD activity, respectively, in the whole brain and liver. These results suggest that the regulatory mechanisms of Mn‐SOD in the brain and liver vary differentially with age.