Effects of melatonin and epithalamin on the content of protein and lipid peroxidation products in rat cortex and hippocampus under conditions of acute hypoxia.

The effects of melatonin and epithalamin on the content of protein and lipid peroxidation products in the cortex and hippocampus of hypoxic rats were studied under conditions of acute hypobaric hypoxia equivalent to the altitude of 12,000 m. Pineal preparations reduced the intensity of free-radical processes in the brain exposed to acute hypoxia. Epithalamin more effectively than exogenous melatonin protected hippocampal neurons during acute hypoxia by reducing free-radical damage to lipids and proteins.