(-)DEPRENYL INCREASES ACTIVITIES OF SUPEROXIDE-DISMUTASE AND CATALASE IN CERTAIN BRAIN-REGIONS IN OLD MALE-MICE

A subcutaneous continuous infusion of (-)deprenyl for 3 weeks in old C57BL male mice increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in s. nigra, striatum and cerebral cortex but not in hippocampus, cerebellum or liver. The doses of 0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg/day were most effective, while with a higher dose (2.0 mg/kg/day), deprenyl tended to lose its effect slightly and with a lower dose (0.25 mg/kg/day) deprenyl was clearly less effective. The results suggest that deprenyl can increase anti-oxidant enzyme activities in certain brain regions in mice as was previously demonstrated in rats of both sexes and different ages; this raises the possibility that deprenyl has this particular effect in animal species other than rats.