Abstract
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a major cause of premature death related to epilepsy. The causes of SUDEP remain unknown, but cardiac arrhythmias and asphyxia have been suggested as a major mechanism of this event. Inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of both epilepsy and ventricular arrhythmia, with interleukin-6 (IL-6) being recognized as a crucial orchestrator of inflammatory states. Our group previously reported that levels of IL-6 were increased in the hearts of epileptic rats. In this scenario, anti-inflammatory actions are among the beneficial effects of fish oil dietary supplementation. This investigation revealed that elevated levels of IL-6 in the heart were markedly reduced in epileptic rats that were treated in the long-term with fish oil, suggesting protective anti-inflammatory actions against dangerously high levels of IL-6. Based on these findings, our results suggest beneficial effects of long-term intake of fish oil in reducing the inflammation associated with chronic epilepsy.
Highlights
The mortality rate in people with epilepsy is substantially higher than that observed in the general population, which is a matter of concern among specialists [1]
The results of Western blot analysis showed that IL-6 levels in the heart of rats with epilepsy were substantially increased when compared with control rats [F(1;12) = 54.78; p < 0.0001]
The ELISA results show the effectiveness of the fish oil treatment, which reduced IL-6 levels in both control and epileptic rats [F(1;16) = 6.05; p = 0.0264]
Summary
The mortality rate in people with epilepsy is substantially higher than that observed in the general population, which is a matter of concern among specialists [1] In this scenario, sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a leading cause of premature mortality directly related to epilepsy [2]. Our group was the first to describe increased levels of IL-6 in the hearts of rats with chronic epilepsy [7]. In the search for complementary therapy for epilepsy, this study was conducted to examine the potential anti-inflammatory effects of fish oil supplementation on the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in the heart of rats with chronic epilepsy. During the 90-day treatment, animals received vehicle (cremophor 0.009%) or fish oil (PROEPA®, 85 mg/kg). Statistical analysis was performed using two-way ANOVA [grouped as control versus experimental and by treatment (vehicle versus fish oil)] followed by Bonferroni posttest. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way ANOVA [grouped as control versus experimental and by treatment (vehicle versus fish oil)] followed by Bonferroni posttest. p Values of 0.05 or less were considered significant
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