Abstract:

Kunming male mice ((20 ± 2) g) were used as experimental animals for exploring the protective effects of grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs) against oxidative damage in brain tissue of mice. Oxidative brain damage models of mice were established with D-galactose induction. Mice with brain damage were orally administered with GSP at doses of 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg serving as low-, medium- and high-dose groups, respectively or identical doses of normal saline serving as model control group once a day for 6 weeks and normal mice also administered with normal saline served as normal control group. After 6 weeks, all mice were sacrificed and anatomized for assaying the activities of total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSHPX), and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in brain tissue and observing cerebral cortex ultrastructure under transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Results showed that GSP was able to significantly inhibit the decrease of T-SOD and GSHPXactivities and the increase of MDA content in brain tissue of mice with oxidative damage induced by D-galactose, and alleviate the ultrastructural pathological changes in cerebral cortex. Therefore, GSP has protective effects against oxidative damage in brain tissue of mice induced by D-galactose.

Key words: grape seed proanthocyanidins (GSPs), D-galactose (D-gal), brain tissue, oxidative damage