[In vitro malondialdehyde formation in brain structure: a method to characterize antihypoxic properties].

In vitro generated free radicals (ascorbic acid-ferric salt-mixture or hydrogen-peroxide) result in lipid peroxidation on brain cellular fractions and striatum slices an decrease of the stimulated dopamine release from rat striatum slices. Besides cysteamine, alpha-tocopherol, pyrogallol and chelating agents also tisochromide shows an antioxidative activity on lipid peroxidation induced by ascorbic acid-ferric salt-mixture. Nootropic drugs like piracetam, methylglucamine orotate, meclofenoxate hydrochloride and nicergoline are ineffective to mitochondrial malondialdehyde generation. On the other hand, piracetam exhibits a limited effect on oxidative damage of striatum slices. For that reason, the antihypoxic activity of these drugs is not accompanied by any antioxidative component and presumes a relatively high degree of tissular organization.