Figure 4

The effect of olmesartan on nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase activity in the brain. NADPH oxidase activity was estimated using lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence in membrane fractions from the cerebral cortex, cerebellum, hypothalamus and medulla oblongata. NADPH-dependent superoxide production was significantly increased in the brain tissues of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) compared with Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) rats in all regions examined, except for the cerebellum, in which superoxide production levels were very low in this assay. The increases were significantly attenuated by treatment with olmesartan. **P<0.01 vs. WKY; ††P<0.01 vs. untreated SHRSP.