RESUMEN
The article studies the effect of melatonin on the intensity of free radical oxidation, the functioning of the enzymatic components of the antioxidant system and their transcriptional regulation in rats with experimental cerebral ischemia/reperfusion of the brain. The development of ischemia/reperfusion was characterized by the activation of apoptotic processes and the accumulation of mRNA of the genes Sod1, Cat, Gpx1, Gsr, Hif-1α, Nrf2, Nfkb2, and Foxo1 in the rats' brains. The use of melatonin in the presence of the pathological induction led to a change in these parameters towards the control values. In addition, the introduction of the hormone was accompanied by a decrease in lactate content, the level of lipoperoxidation products and oxidative modification of proteins, indicators of biochemiluminescence in the brain and blood serum. At the same time, there was a shift in the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, which increased in the presence of a pathology, towards the control values. The revealed changes may be accounted for by antioxidant and neuroprotective properties of melatonin, which provided a decrease in the degree of mobilization of the protective systems in animal organism.