Alterations in thiol redox state and lipid peroxidation in the brain areas of male mice during aging

Abstract

Aging is a natural process in organisms with its underlying mechanisms remaining unknown. Brain aging is accompanied by cognitive deficits and movement disorders, which signify the importance of elaborating its main mechanisms. In this study, oxidative stress biomarkers for lipid peroxidation and thiol redox state were assessed in different brain areas in male mice, categorised in respect to aging as young (three months), middle (eleven months) and elder aged (twenty-three months). Senescence was associated with an increase of lipid peroxidation and a decrease of reduced and oxidized glutathione. In some brain areas, reduced cysteine and oxidized protein thiols were increased with aging. Results support the theory that aging is associated with oxidative stress in the brain of mice and provide an insight in the biochemical aspect of aging in reference to thiol redox status as a potential marker for aging.

Keywords

• Glutathione
• Cysteine
• Protein thiols
• Lipid peroxidation
• Oxidative stress
• Brain aging