An antioxidant tetrapeptide UPF1 in rats has a neuroprotective effect in transient global brain ischemia

Abstract

Different glutathione analogues have potential to maintain or increase tissue glutathione level and to scavenge the reactive oxygen species. We designed and synthesized a novel non-toxic glutathione analogue, named UPF1, which possessed 60-fold higher hydroxyl radical scavenger efficiency in vitro, compared with glutathione itself, and investigated the effects of UPF1 on a four-vessel occlusion model of rats. The UPF1 was administered via the jugular vein in two separate experiments at two time points: 20 min before global brain ischemia and immediately before reperfusion. In both cases the number of pyramidal cells surviving in the subfield of CA1 at the dorsal hippocampus in the UPF1-treated groups of rats was twice as high as in the vehicle group.