title: Ascorbate inhibits edema in brain slices.
abstract: Ascorbate is an essential antioxidant in the CNS, localized predominantly in neuronal cytosol. Slices of mammalian brain rapidly lose ascorbate, however, when incubated in ascorbate-free media; brain slices also take up water and swell. Here we investigated water gain in coronal slices of rat forebrain incubated with and without ascorbate for 1-3 h at 34 degrees C. Slices progressively gained water in ascorbate-free media, with a significant 12% water increase after 3 h at 34 degrees C, compared with the water content of slices after a 1-h recovery period at 24 degrees C, immediately following slice preparation. Inclusion of 400 micro M ascorbate in the medium led to an increase in tissue ascorbate content and prevented water gain at 34 degrees C. By contrast, water gain was not inhibited by isoascorbate or thiourea, which are antioxidants that are not accumulated in brain cells. The oxidant H2O2 enhanced water gain, whereas a cocktail of NMDA and non-NMDA receptor blockers inhibited edema formation to the same extent as ascorbate. These data demonstrate that brain edema, linked to glutamate-receptor activation, can result from intracellular oxidative stress and that this can be prevented by ascorbate.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, New York 10016, USA.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brahma
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Forman
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Rice
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001834:Body Water / Q000378:metabolism; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000517:prevention & control*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D016548:Prosencephalon / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D001205:Ascorbic Acid