Abstract
Epilepsy is a prevalent neurological disorder that was reported to affect about 56 million people in the world. Approximately one-third of the epileptic patients that suffer from seizures do not receive effective medical treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the potential anticonvulsant activities of Baldrinal (BAL) with a mouse model of pilocarpine (PILO)-induced epilepsy. The mice were treated with different doses of BAL or sodium valproate prior to PILO injection. Spontaneous and evoked seizures were evaluated from EEG recordings, and their severity was tested by the Racine scale. In addition, the brain tissues were analyzed for histological changes, and the in situ levels of glutamic acid (Glu) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) were also measured. Activation of astrocytes in the hippocampus was measured. PILO-treated mice showed a significant increase in Glu levels, which was restored by BAL. In addition, BAL treatment also reduced the rate of seizures in the epileptic mice, and ameliorated the increased levels of NMDAR1, BDNF, IL-1β and TNF-α. Taken together, BAL has a potential antiepileptic effect, which may be mediated by reducing the inflammatory response in the PILO-induced brain and restoring the balance of GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons.
Highlights
In 2015, it was reported that about 65 million people worldwide suffered from epilepsy, and nearly 80% of the patients were from developing countries
Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures [1,2] that could lead to behavioral anomalies, such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, and cognitive deficits, all of which affect the quality of life of the patients and their families [3]
No signs of seizure activity were observed in the controls and BAL + PILO mice, while the valproate sodium (VPA) + PILO
Summary
In 2015, it was reported that about 65 million people worldwide suffered from epilepsy, and nearly 80% of the patients were from developing countries. Epilepsy is characterized by recurrent seizures [1,2] that could lead to behavioral anomalies, such as depression, anxiety, psychosis, and cognitive deficits, all of which affect the quality of life of the patients and their families [3]. More than 60% of the patients suffering from recurrent seizures are prescribed anti-epileptic drugs, which have considerable side effects like ataxia and cognitive deficit [4], thereby limiting their preventive usage. Novel anti-seizure drugs with minimal side effects must be developed [5,6,7].
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