Concentration of malonic dialdehyde in the cerebrospinal fluid as a measure of the intensity of lipid peroxidation processes in intracranial hypertension in small children

The authors analyzed the concentration of malonic dialdehyde (MDA) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of children with intracranial hypertension. For the control group an intracranial pressure (ICP) of 250 mm H2O was taken as a reference point. The concentration of MDA was determined by a method using thiobarbituric acid. In a group of children with ICP values greater than the limiting value, the concentration of malonic dialdehyde was 0.629 mmol/mg protein, while in the control group with an ICP below 250 mm H2O, this value was 0.610 mmol/mg protein. The differences between the two groups were not statistically significant, from the results obtained it can be concluded that the concentration of MDA, as an isolated parameter, does not constitute a good measure of intensity of the lipid peroxidation processes in central nervous system (CNS) tissues, taken as an indicator of their disintegration in cases of hydrocephalus with intracranial hypertension.