Effect of 2-mercapto-ethanol on some brain biochemical characteristics and behavioural changes in the ageing CBA/Ca mice.

Male CBA/Ca inbred mice were treated with a dose of 8 micrograms 2-mercapto-ethanol per animal per day in the drinking water from the age of 5 months onwards up to the age of 24 months. Dopamine release was greatly decreased in old animals in contrast to the elevation of dopamine release in the treated mice. Similarly, an elevated malondialdehyde content in brain homogenates was also observed in the aged treated animals compared with their controls. No essential differences were observed in locomotor activity and learning between treated an control mice.