title: Comparison of taurine, GABA, Glu, and Asp as scavengers of malondialdehyde in vitro and in vivo.
abstract: The purpose of this study is to determine if amino acid neurotransmitters such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), taurine, glutamate (Glu), and aspartate (Asp) can scavenge activated carbonyl toxicants. In vitro, direct reaction between malondialdehyde (MDA) and amino acids was researched using different analytical methods. The results indicated that scavenging activated carbonyl function of taurine and GABA is very strong and that of Glu and Asp is very weak in pathophysiological situations. The results provided perspective into the reaction mechanism of taurine and GABA as targets of activated carbonyl such as MDA in protecting nerve terminals. In vivo, we studied the effect of taurine and GABA as antioxidants by detecting MDA concentration and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities. It was shown that MDA concentration was decreased significantly, and the activities of SOD and GSH-Px were increased significantly in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of acute epileptic state rats, after the administration of taurine and GABA. The results indicated that the peripherally administered taurine and GABA can scavenge free radicals and protect the tissue against activated carbonyl in vivo and in vitro.
authors.affiliation: Hunan Key Laboratory of Green Packaging and Application of Biological Nanotechnology, Hunan University of Technology, Zhuzhou, 412007, People's Republic of China. dy_dengyan@yahoo.com.cn.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Pingfeng
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Zhijiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xi
authors.forename: Lijian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Xiaolong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Nongyue
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: He