Abstract
Nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT) encodes a mitochondrial redox-stimulated proton pump whose aberrant functions disturbs redox balance in neurons and is implicated in the oxidative stress observed in neurodegenerative diseases. However, the role of this protein in the pathogenesis of epilepsy is unknown. In the present investigation, we assessed expression of NNT and its naturally occurring antisense transcript (NNT-AS1) in the peripheral blood of 40 patients with refractory epilepsy and 40 normal subjects. There was no significant difference in expression of NNT between total epileptic patients and total controls. However, when dividing study participants based on their sex and age, there was a trend toward down-regulation of NNT in young female epileptic patients (<35 years old) compared with age and sex-matched controls (Beta = −0.81, P value = .05). Expression of NNT-AS1 was not different between cases and controls either in total comparisons or in any subgroup analysis. Consequently, NNT and its antisense transcript are not possibly implicated in refractory epilepsy. Assessment of role of other redox-associated genes in epileptic patients would shed light on the pathogenic process of this neurological condition.
Published Version
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