Omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids enhance the protective effect of levetiracetam against seizures, cognitive impairment and hippocampal oxidative DNA damage in young kindled rats

Evaluating the Efficacy of Levetiracetam on Non-Cognitive Symptoms and Pathology in a Tau Mouse Model

Background/Objectives: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is marked by amyloid-β plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs), leading to cognitive decline and debilitating non-cognitive symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate compounds from four different classes in a short-term (7-day) study using transgenic tau mice to assess their ability to reduce non-cognitive symptoms. The best candidate was then evaluated for longer exposure to assess non-cognitive symptoms, cognition, and pathology. Methods: Tg4510 mice, expressing mutated human tau (P301L), were administered with levetiracetam, methylphenidate, diazepam, and quetiapine for 7 days at 6 months old, when pathology and cognitive deficits are established. Drugs were given in the diet, and non-cognitive symptoms were evaluated using metabolic cages. Levetiracetam was chosen for longer exposure (3 months) in 3-month-old Tg4510 mice and non-transgenic controls to assess behavior and pathology. Results: After 3 months of diet, levetiracetam mildly reduced tau pathology in the hippocampus but did not improve cognition in Tg4510 mice. Interestingly, it influenced appetite, body weight, anxiety-like behavior, and contextual fear memory in non-transgenic animals but not in Tg4510 mice. Conclusions: While levetiracetam has shown benefits in amyloid deposition models, it had limited effects on tau pathology and behavior in an animal model of tau deposition, which is crucial for AD context. The differential effects on non-transgenic versus Tg4510 mice warrant further investigation.

Effect of Levetiracetam on Oxidant-Antioxidant Activity during Long-Term Temporal Lobe Epilepsy in Rats

Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by a predisposition to generate seizures. Levetiracetam (LEV) is an antiseizure drug that has demonstrated oxidant-antioxidant effects during the early stages of epilepsy in several animal models. However, the effect of LEV on oxidant-antioxidant activity during long-term epilepsy has not been studied. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to determine the effects of LEV on the concentrations of five antioxidant enzymes and on the levels of four oxidant stress markers in the hippocampus of rats with temporal lobe epilepsy at 5.7 months after status epilepticus (SE). The results revealed that superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was significantly greater in the epileptic group (EPI) than in the control (CTRL), CTRL + LEV and EPI + LEV groups. No significant differences were found among the groups' oxidant markers. However, the ratios of SOD/hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), SOD/glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and SOD/GPx + catalase (CAT) were greater in the EPI group than in the CTRL and EPI + LEV groups. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between SOD activity and GPx activity in the EPI + LEV group. LEV-mediated modulation of the antioxidant system appears to be time dependent; at 5.7 months after SE, the role of LEV may be as a stabilizer of the redox state.

Evaluation of the Antioxidant Activity of Levetiracetam in a Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Model

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder in which it has been shown that the presence of oxidative stress (OS) is implicated in epileptogenesis. The literature has shown that some antiseizure drugs (ASD) have neuroprotective properties. Levetiracetam (LEV) is a drug commonly used as an ASD, and in some studies, it has been found to possess antioxidant properties. Because the antioxidant effects of LEV have not been demonstrated in the chronic phase of epilepsy, the objective of this study was to evaluate, for the first time, the effects of LEV on the oxidant–antioxidant status in the hippocampus of rats with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). The in vitro scavenging capacity of LEV was evaluated. LEV administration in rats with TLE significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, increased catalase (CAT) activity, but did not change glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and significantly decreased glutathione reductase (GR) activity in comparison with epileptic rats. LEV administration in rats with TLE significantly reduced hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels but did not change lipoperoxidation and carbonylated protein levels in comparison with epileptic rats. In addition, LEV showed in vitro scavenging activity against hydroxyl radical (HO•). LEV showed significant antioxidant effects in relation to restoring the redox balance in the hippocampus of rats with TLE. In vitro, LEV demonstrated direct antioxidant activity against HO•.

The role of nutrition in canine idiopathic epilepsy management: Fact or fiction?

In the last decade, nutrition has gained interest in the management of canine idiopathic epilepsy (IE) based on growing scientific evidence. Diets can serve their functions through many pathways. One potential pathway includes the microbiota-gut-brain axis, which highlights the relationship between the brain and the intestines. Changing the brain's energy source and a number of dietary sourced anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective factors appears to be the basis for improved outcomes in IE. Selecting a diet with anti-seizure effects and avoiding risks of proconvulsant mediators as well as interference with anti-seizure drugs should all be considered in canine IE. This literature review provides information about preclinical and clinical evidence, including a systematic evaluation of the level of evidence, suggested mechanism of action and interaction with anti-seizure drugs as well as pros and cons of each potential dietary adaptation in canine IE.

Fatty Acids: A Safe Tool for Improving Neurodevelopmental Alterations in Down Syndrome?

The triplication of chromosome 21 causes Down syndrome (DS), a genetic disorder that is characterized by intellectual disability (ID). The causes of ID start in utero, leading to impairments in neurogenesis, and continue into infancy, leading to impairments in dendritogenesis, spinogenesis, and connectivity. These defects are associated with alterations in mitochondrial and metabolic functions and precocious aging, leading to the early development of Alzheimer’s disease. Intense efforts are currently underway, taking advantage of DS mouse models to discover pharmacotherapies for the neurodevelopmental and cognitive deficits of DS. Many treatments that proved effective in mouse models may raise safety concerns over human use, especially at early life stages. Accumulating evidence shows that fatty acids, which are nutrients present in normal diets, exert numerous positive effects on the brain. Here, we review (i) the knowledge obtained from animal models regarding the effects of fatty acids on the brain, by focusing on alterations that are particularly prominent in DS, and (ii) the progress recently made in a DS mouse model, suggesting that fatty acids may indeed represent a useful treatment for DS. This scenario should prompt the scientific community to further explore the potential benefit of fatty acids for people with DS.

Levetiracetam Mechanisms of Action: From Molecules to Systems

Epilepsy is a chronic disease that affects millions of people worldwide. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are used to control seizures. Even though parts of their mechanisms of action are known, there are still components that need to be studied. Therefore, the search for novel drugs, new molecular targets, and a better understanding of the mechanisms of action of existing drugs is still crucial. Levetiracetam (LEV) is an AED that has been shown to be effective in seizure control and is well-tolerable, with a novel mechanism of action through an interaction with the synaptic vesicle protein 2A (SV2A). Moreover, LEV has other molecular targets that involve calcium homeostasis, the GABAergic system, and AMPA receptors among others, that might be integrated into a single mechanism of action that could explain the antiepileptogenic, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and antioxidant properties of LEV. This puts it as a possible multitarget drug with clinical applications other than for epilepsy. According to the above, the objective of this work was to carry out a comprehensive and integrative review of LEV in relation to its clinical uses, structural properties, therapeutical targets, and different molecular, genetic, and systemic action mechanisms in order to consider LEV as a candidate for drug repurposing.

Effects of levetiracetam and valproic acid treatment on liver function tests, plasma free carnitine and lipid peroxidation in childhood epilepsies

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

The relationship between anti-epileptic usage and oxidative damage has not yet been clearly understood. In our study, we investigated oxidative stress parameters, carnitine levels, liver function tests (LFT) and their relationship in epileptic children treated with valproic acid or levetiracetam.

METHOD

LFTs, serum free carnitine and oxidative damage markers and their relations with each other were determined in patients who are on valproic acid or levetiracetam treatment at least for 6 months. 25 patients on therapeutic doses of valproic acid, 26 patients on therapeutic doses of levetiracetam and 26 healthy volunteers as controls were included. LFTs, ammonia, carnitine, lipid peroxidation biomarker malondialdehyde (MDA) and a sensitive marker of DNA damage, 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels were measured. Results of patients are compared to healthy controls. The data is evaluated with IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0.

RESULTS

Ammonia and MDA levels were elevated in patients using levetiracetam; 8-OHdG levels were elevated in both patient groups. Carnitine levels were significantly low in patients under valproic acid therapy, however they were not found to be correlated with MDA, 8-OHdG or LFTs. MDA showed positive correlation with ammonia and 8-OHdG in the levetiracetam group.

CONCLUSION

We did not observe hepatotoxicity in patients under therapeutic doses of valproic acid. However, epileptic children under therapeutic doses of levetiracetam showed significantly elevated levels of MDA and 8-OHdG, which is supportive for oxidative damage under levetiracetam therapy. This result was observed for the first time in childhood epilepsies and further studies are needed to understand its mechanism.

Intranasally administered pitavastatin ameliorates pentylenetetrazol-induced neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and cognitive dysfunction

AIM

The present study aimed to evaluate the neuroprotective potential of intranasally administered pitavastatin in the PTZ-induced kindling model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Subconvulsant dose of PTZ (35 mg/kg, i.p) was administered on an alternate day until the development of kindling. Behavioural test, biochemical tests and inflammatory cytokines were estimated. Comparative molecular docking study of sodium valproate (VPA) and pitavastatin was performed to predict the binding affinity with GABA_A and GABA transaminase. Intranasally administered pitavastatin (0.5 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg) and VPA (200 mg/kg) were used to investigate its protective effect.

KEY FINDINGS

Comparative in-silico study showed docking score of -4.56 and -2.86 against GABA_A receptor whereas -5.56 and -1.86, against GABA transaminase. Root mean square deviation (RMSD) of 0.39A and 0.55A was found for pitavastatin and VPA, respectively. The present study showed the dose-dependent protective effect of intranasally administered pitavastatin and oral VPA against PTZ-induced seizure, cognitive impairment, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our findings suggest that the intranasally administered pitavastatin is potential therapeutic approach to managing PTZ-induced kindling and associated comorbid conditions via its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticonvulsant potential. Further, pitavastatin can modulate GABA_A receptor and GABA transaminase enzyme to ameliorate seizure. Meanwhile, more extensive studies are required to establish the molecular mechanism underlying the neuroprotective effect of pitavastatin.

The effects of diets enriched in omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on systemic vaccinia virus infection

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, n-3 fatty acids), the key components of fish and flaxseed oils, are increasingly consumed by the public because of their potential health benefits and are available by prescription for hypertriglyceridemia. However, numerous studies have shown that these compounds are immunoregulatory and immunosuppressive and thus may increase susceptibility to infection. In this study, we tested the effects of the amount of fat and the types of fatty acid in the diet on infection by vaccinia virus, an acute infection that begins in the respiratory tract and spreads by viremia to internal organs. Male C57Bl6 mice (~5 week old) were fed for 3 weeks prior to infection and continuing during infection and recovery one of the following: 1) a normal low fat (13% kcal) diet, 2) a low fat diet containing n-3 PUFAs, 3) a high fat (41% kcal) diet rich in n-3 PUFAs, 4) a high fat n-6 PUFA diet, or 5) a high fat monounsaturated diet. We found no statistically significant differences in the susceptibility of mice to viral infection, morbidity, viral organ titers, recovery time, or mortality with these diets, indicating that, over this approximately 6-week time period, dietary fats did not substantially affect responses to poxviral infection.

The Antiepileptic Drug Levetiracetam Protects Against Quinolinic Acid-Induced Toxicity in the Rat Striatum

Levetiracetam (LVT) is a relatively novel antiepileptic drug (AED) known to act through binding with the synaptic vesicular 2A (SV2A) protein, thus modulating the presynaptic neurotransmitter release. The tryptophan metabolite quinolinic acid (QUIN) acts as an excitotoxin when its brain concentrations reach toxic levels under pathological conditions. Since increased neuronal excitability induced by QUIN recruits degenerative events in the brain, and novel AED is also expected to exert neuroprotective effects in their pharmacological profiles, in this work the effect of LVT (54 mg/kg, i.p., administered for seven consecutive days) was tested as a pretreatment against the toxicity evoked by the bilateral intrastriatal injection of QUIN (60 nmol/μl) to adult rats. QUIN increased the striatal levels of peroxidized lipids and carbonylated proteins as indexes of oxidative damage 24 h after its infusion. In addition, in synaptosomal fractions isolated from QUIN-lesioned rats 24 h after the toxin infusion, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) release was decreased, whereas glutamate (Glu) release was increased. QUIN also decreased motor activity and augmented the rate of cell damage at 7 days post-lesion. All these alterations were significantly prevented by pretreatment of rats with LVT. The results of this study show a neuroprotective role and antioxidant action of LVT against the brain damage induced by excitotoxic events.

Reproductive toxicity after levetiracetam administration in male rats: Evidence for role of hormonal status and oxidative stress

Levetiracetam (LEV) is an antiepileptic drug commonly used in the treatment of epilepsy because of its excellent safety profile in all age groups. It is remarkable that there are no studies evaluating the toxic effects of this drug on the male reproductive system, as it is commonly used in male patients of reproductive age. From this point of view, our aim was to evaluate the possible toxic effects of LEV on the male reproductive system. Therefore, LEV was administered to male rats orally at 50, 150, and 300 mg/kg for 70 consecutive days. At the end of this period, alterations to body and organ weights were calculated, and sperm concentration, motility, and morphology were investigated by a computer-assisted sperm analysis system. Sperm DNA damage was determined by comet assay and histopathological examination of the testes was carried out. Serum testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were measured by ELISAs to determine the effects of hormonal status, while glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and malondialdehyde levels in the testes were measured by colorimetric assay kits to determine the role of oxidative status in potential toxicity. According to the results, sperm quality was decreased by LEV treatment in a dose-dependent manner. LEV induced significant DNA damage in the 150 and 300 mg/kg LEV-administered groups. Histopathology of the testes showed that LEV resulted in testicular injury in the 300 mg/kg LEV-administered group. Serum testosterone, FSH, and LH levels were significantly decreased in the 300 mg/kg LEV-administered group. Glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and catalase levels were significantly decreased in all experimental groups while malondialdehyde levels were significantly increased in 150 and 300 mg/kg LEV-administered groups. According to these results, it was determined that LEV administration decreased sperm quality and it was alleged that hormonal alteration and oxidative stress are potential contributors to reproductive toxicity.