Effects of formaldehyde on lipid peroxidation and antioxidase in mouse brain tissues

Objective To study the effects of formaldehyde on the lipid peroxidation and antioxidase in mouse brain tissues to explore the neurotoxic action of formaldehyde and its mechanism. Methods The mice in control group were exposed to 0.9% NaCl at 0.1 mL/10 g,the mice in low, moderate and high dose groups were exposed to formaldehyde with 0.2, 2.0, and 20.0 mg·kg~-1 i.p, once per day for seven days, and then the activities of SOD,GSH-Px and the content of MDA in mice were measured. Results The content of MDA in mouse brain tissues was significantly higher than that in the control group (P0.01) after exposure to 20.0 mg·kg~-1(1/200 LD50)formaldehyde; the SOD activitiy and the GSH-Px activitiy in mouse brain tissues were significantly lower than those in the control group (P0.01 or P0.05) after exposure to 20.0 mg·kg~-1(1/20 LD50) and 2.0 mg·kg~-1(1/200 LD50) formaldehyde. Conclusion Formaldehyde might induce the lipid peroxidation, decrease the activities of SOD and GSH-Px, and cause the oxidative damage in mouse brain tissues.