Age‐Related Changes in Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activity of Rat Brain, Liver, and Heart

Abstract

Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) activity was measured in brains, livers and hearts of 23- to 26-mo.-old and 3-mo.-old rats. A significant increase of ALDH activity was found in whole brain of old rats with both acetaldehyde (39%) and propionylaldehyde (15%) used as substrates. In different brain areas of old rats, with acetaldehyde used as substrate, a significant increase of ALDH activity was found in striatum (30-50%) and cereral cortex (37%). No significant difference in ALDH activity was found in livers and hearts of young and old rats. Preliminary experiments showed a significant increase of aldehyde reductase activity (52%) with p-nitrobenzaldehyde used as substrate in whole brain of old rats compared with young rats. An increase in ALDH activity in the brain of old rats may be an adaptive phenomenon.