Comparison of Spectrophotometric and HPLC Methods for Determination of Lipid Peroxidation Products in Rat Brain Tissues

Two methods for determination of lipid peroxidation (LPX) products in rat brain homogenates were compared. The thiobarbituric acid (TBA) test and HPLC assay for analysis of malondialdehyde (MDA) were applied. Rat brain homogenate dissolved in tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane hydrochloride (Tris-HCl) was mixed with TBA and H3PO4 and heated at 100°C to form colored complex that was extracted into butanol. No significant differences were found between the contents of TBA-reacting substances and their amount deduced from the MDA-TBA analysis. The presented results show that LPX products in brain homogenates can be determined without interferences also by the TBA test. Moreover, a survey of various methods used for the sample preparation before analysis of LPX products originating from different brain areas was made and compared with the obtained results.