Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Defense Status in CSF and Blood Content of the WAG/Rij Rat Models Suffering from Absence Epilepsy

Abstract

Objective: Absence seizure as one of several kinds of seizures has been characterized by short-term episodes of either conscious or unconscious abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. WAG/Rij rats, a genetic model of absence epilepsy, were originally developed as experimental tools to resemble human absence epilepsy. Factors like blood variation and CSF (Cerebrospinal fluid) oxidative stress and antioxidant balance, play a key role in the induction and development of absence epilepsy and its complications. In this study we tried to evaluate the effects of changes in oxidative and antioxidant levels in CSF and blood on absence seizures. Materials and Methods: 20 male WAG/Rij rats and 20 male Wistar rats (250-350g, 6-7 months old) were used in the study. At the end of the experiment animals were anesthetized, then blood and CSF samples were collected and used for the determination of Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Results: This study showed that the level of MDA, as an index of oxidative stress, significantly increased in WAG/Rij rats when compared to control group (p=0.001 for WD and p=0.003 for CSF). It was also found that the levels of antioxidants such as GPx, SOD, and TAC in WAG/Rij rats decreased significantly: p= 0.03, p= 0.013, p= 0.001,p= 0.003, p= 0.009 and p= 0.003, respectively, for GPx WB, GPx CSF, SOD WB, SOD CSF, TAC serum and TAC CSF. Conclusion: In absence seizure, measurement of oxidative stress markers and antioxidant levels such as MDA, SOD, GPx, in serum and CSF cases can lead to a better diagnosis and treatment of this condition.