Prooxidant versus antioxidant brain action of ascorbic acid in well-nourished and malnourished rats as a function of dose: A cortical spreading depression and malondialdehyde analysis

Although ascorbic acid (AA) is an antioxidant, under certain conditions it can facilitate oxidation, which may underlie the opposite actions of AA on brain excitability in distinct seizure models. Here, we investigated whether chronic AA administration during brain development alters cortical excitability as a function of AA dose, as indexed by cortical spreading depression (CSD) and by the levels of lipid peroxidation-induced malondialdehyde. Well-nourished and early-malnourished rats received per gavage 30, 60, or 120 mg/kg/d of AA, saline, or no gavage treatment (naïve group) at postnatal days 7–28. CSD propagation and malondialdehyde levels were analyzed at 30–40 days. Confirming previous observations, CSD velocities were significantly higher in the early-malnourished groups than in the well-nourished groups. AA dose was important: 30 mg/kg/d AA decelerated CSD and reduced malondialdehyde levels, whereas 60 mg/kg/d and 120 mg/kg/d accelerated CSD and augmented malondialdehyde levels compared with the corresponding saline and naïve groups. Our findings reinforce previous suggestion that AA acts as an antioxidant in the brain when administered at low doses, but as a prooxidant at high doses, as indicated by CSD propagation and malondialdehyde levels. •We treated developing rats chronically with 3 different doses of ascorbic acid (AA).•We measured cortical spreading depression (CSD) parameters.•In addition, we measured brain malondialdehyde (MDA) levels.•Low and high AA doses respectively decreased and increased CSD and MDA levels.•Data suggest antioxidant and prooxidant actions of low and high AA, respectively.