Pro- and Antioxidant Systems in the Lower Portion of Rat Brainstem during Hydroxybutyrate-Induced Pathological Periodic Breathing.

Activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase characterizing antioxidant status of the nervous tissue and its resistance to free radical oxidation were measured in the brainstem of rats with hydroxybutyrate-induced pathological periodic breathing. Hydroxybutyrate modified the pro- and antioxidant status in the brainstem respiratory center. It markedly inhibited catalase activity; in rats without the signs of periodic breathing, hydroxybutyrate up-regulated superoxide dismutase activity and to a lesser extent increased the resistance of the membrane structures in the medulla oblongata to induction of free radical oxidation. In rats with periodic breathing pattern, hydroxybutyrate induced more pronounced increase in the sensitivity of membrane structures in the medulla oblongata to induction of free radical oxidation.