Free radical formation and lipid peroxidation in rat and mouse cerebral cortex slices exposed to high oxygen pressure

Free radical formation and lipid peroxidation were investigated in rat and mouse cerebral cortex slices exposed to O 2 at high pressure. Free radical formation as detected by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and lipid peroxidation as reflected by malondialdehyde (MDA) formation, increased with increasing O 2 pressures. Greater amounts of MDA were formed in mouse than in rat brain slices exposed to O 2. It is concluded that O 2 exposure initiates free radical formation and subsequently lipid peroxidation, which may lead to cellular damage and seizure onset.