Beneficial effects of gentiopicrin inhibiting experimental epilepsy in young rats through the P2X7R/NLRP3/Caspase-1 inflammatory pathway.

Abstract

Abstract. This study mainly examined the protective effect of gentiopicrin on on experimental epileptic young rats. Seventy-two Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were used in this study. Twelve rats were randomly selected as the normal group, and the remaining 60 rats were injected with lithium chloride-pilocarpine intra-peritoneally to establish an epileptic model, and were randomly divided into five groups of 12 rats each. The positive control group was given topiramate 5.9 mg/kg in normal saline, and the low, middle, and high dose groups were given gen-tiopicrin liquid, with the mass of gentiopicroside being 1.28 g/kg, 2.56 g/kg, and 5.12 g/kg respectively. The model and normal groups were given the same dose of normal saline daily for four weeks. Compared with the model group, the damage of neurons in the CA3 area of the hippocampus in the positive control group, low, medium, and high dose groups of gentiopicrine was reduced. The number of Tunel positive cells, malondialdehyde (MDA), P2X7R, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1 protein, and mRNA in the model group were significantly higher than those in the control group and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly lower than that in the control group (p<0.05). The number of Tunel positive cells, MDA content, P2X7R, NLRP3, ASC, Caspase-1 protein, and mRNA in the positive control group, low, medium, and high dosage groups of gentiopicroside were significantly lower than those in the model group, and the SOD activity was significantly higher than that in the model group (p<0.05). Gentiopicroside may improve the behavior of young epileptic rats.