We compared the direct neuroprotective effect of minor food components, antioxidants hesperetin and carnosine, and analyzed their influence on the parameters of the oxidative status of the penumbra zones in the cerebral cortex during focal ischemia (1 h) of with reperfusion in Wistar rats. The animals received hesperetin and carnosine included in the diet in daily doses of 50 and 150 mg/kg, respectively, for 7 days before ischemia induction. The neuroprotective effect of hesperetin manifested in reduction of the ischemic lesion size by 30%, which was comparable with the effect of carnosine. Both hesperetin and carnosine reduced the level of MDA in the penumbra zone of the cerebral cortex and increased the total antioxidant activity of the brain tissue. Hesperetin also increased SOD activity to a level observed in the sham-operated control group.
Keywords: antioxidants; carnosine; focal cerebral ischemia; hesperetin; oxidative stress.