Assessment of Oxidative Stress in the Brain of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat and Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Using by Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy

Abstract

AbstractIt is well accepted that reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress is a potential contributor to the pathogenesis of ischemia–reperfusion injury. The vascular system may be the first target of ROS generated during the pathological processes of hypertension and stroke; ROS also have important roles in the pathogenesis of vascular incompetence. The blood–brain barrier-permeable nitroxyl spin probe, 3-methoxycarbonyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrrolidine-1-oxyl, has the potential to be useful in understanding redox status under conditions of oxidative stress induced by ROS in the rodent brain, using the in vivo electron spin resonance (ESR) technique. These methods have also been applied to the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and stroke-prone SHR (SHRSP) models of essential hypertension and stroke, respectively. We have previously evaluated the degree of oxidative stress in the brains of SHRSP or SHR, as compared to normal (control) Wistar-Kyoto rat. This chapter focuses on biomedical applications of ESR, especially, the L-band ESR technique, using the rodent disease model. These ESR methods may constitute a useful tool for assessment of oxidative stress in the rodent brain of hypertension and stroke models such as the SHR and SHRSP; in addition, these ESR techniques have the potential to contribute to the development of neuroprotective drugs for treatment of hypertension and stroke in humans, in the near future.KeywordsBrainESR imagingIn vivo L-bandNitroxyl spin probeOxidative stressSpontaneously hypertensive ratStroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rat