In vivo supplementation with Ginkgo biloba protects membranes against lipid peroxidation.

The effect of Ginkgo biloba (Gb) supplementation in vivo was studied on lipid peroxidation of microsomal membranes. Administration of up to 100 mg/kg/day Gb to rats did not significantly affect either the activity of microsomal enzymes, the rate of generation of superoxide anion or the iron reduction rate by rat liver microsomes. Lipid peroxidation, assessed by the generation of lipid radicals measured by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy using POBN as the spin trap, was reduced by 39.

Vitamin E at high doses improves survival, neurological performance, and brain mitochondrial function in aging male mice.

Male mice receiving vitamin E (5.0 g alpha-tocopherol acetate/kg of food) from 28 wk of age showed a 40% increased median life span, from 61 +/- 4 wk to 85 +/- 4 wk, and 17% increased maximal life span, whereas female mice equally supplemented exhibited only 14% increased median life span. The alpha-tocopherol content of brain and liver was 2.

Kidney mitochondrial nitric oxide synthase.

Nitric oxide synthase activity was recognized in rat renal cortex mitochondria (mtNOS) with nitric oxide (NO) production rates of 0.14-0.78 nmol/min/mg of protein.

Early neuroprotective effect of nitric oxide in developing rat brain irradiated in utero.

Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed on day 17 of gestation to 1 Gy gamma irradiation from a Co(60) source. Even though it is established that gamma radiation-dependent damage is mainly due to free radical generation neither the ascorbyl radical/ascorbate ratio nor the lipid radical content in developing rat brain were affected by prenatal irradiation. A distinctive EPR signal for the adduct NO-Fe-MGD (g=2.

The reaction of nitric oxide with 6-hydroxydopamine: implications for Parkinson's disease.

Oxidation of catecholamines is suggested to contribute to oxidative stress in Parkinson's disease. Nitric oxide (*NO) is able to oxidize cyclic compounds like ubiquinol; moreover, recent lines of evidence proposed a direct role of *NO and its by-product peroxynitrite in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease. The aim of this study was to analyze the potential reaction between 6-hydroxydopamine, a classic inducer of Parkinson's disease, and *NO.