Anticonvulsant effects of antiaris toxicaria aqueous extract: investigation using animal models of temporal lobe epilepsy

An aqueous extract of Syzygium cumini protects against kainate-induced status epilepticus and amnesia: evidence for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory intervention

Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common drug-resistant epilepsy. To cure epilepsy, drugs must target the mechanisms at the origin of seizures. Thus, the present investigation aimed to evaluate the antiepileptic- and anti-amnesic-like effects of an aqueous extract of Syzygium cumini against kainate-induced status epilepticus in mice, and possible mechanisms of action. Mice were divided into 7 groups and treated as follows: normal group or kainate group received po distilled water (10 mL/kg), four test groups received Syzygium cumini (28.8, 72, 144, and 288 mg/kg, po), and the positive control group treated intraperitoneally (ip) with sodium valproate (300 mg/kg). An extra group of normal mice was treated with piracetam (200 mg/kg, po). Treatments were administered 60 min before the induction of status epilepticus with kainate (15 mg/kg, ip), and continued daily throughout behavioral testing. Twenty-four hours after the induction, T-maze and Morris water maze tasks were successively performed. The animals were then sacrificed and some markers of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation were estimated in the hippocampus. The extract significantly prevented status epilepticus and mortality. In the T-maze, the aqueous extract markedly increased the time spent and the number of entries in the discriminated arm. In the Morris water maze, the extract significantly increased the time spent in the target quadrant during the retention phase. Furthermore, the aqueous extract induced a significant reduction of oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. These results suggest that the aqueous extract of Syzygium cumini has antiepileptic- and anti-amnesic-like effects, likely mediated in part by antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

Neuroprotective Effect of Exogenous Galectin-1 in Status Epilepticus

Intrahippocampal pilocarpine microinjection (H-PILO) induces status epilepticus (SE) that can lead to spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) and neurodegeneration in rodents. Studies using animal models have indicated that lectins mediate a variety of biological activities with neuronal benefits, especially galectin-1 (GAL-1), which has been identified as an effective neuroprotective compound. GAL-1 is associated with the regulation of cell adhesion, proliferation, programmed cell death, and immune responses, as well as attenuating neuroinflammation. Here, we administrated GAL-1 to Wistar rats and evaluated the severity of the SE, neurodegenerative and inflammatory patterns in the hippocampal formation. Administration of GAL-1 caused a reduction in the number of class 2 and 4 seizures, indicating a decrease in seizure severity. Furthermore, we observed a reduction in inflammation and neurodegeneration 24 h and 15 days after SE. Overall, these results suggest that GAL-1 has a neuroprotective effect in the early stage of epileptogenesis and provides new insights into the roles of exogenous lectins in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE).

Anticonvulsive evaluation and histopathological survey of thalidomide synthetic analogs on lithium-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in rats

Background and purpose:

Status epilepticus is a severe neurological disorder that can be life-threatening. Thalidomide and its analogs have shown promising results to confront pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures. This study aimed to evaluate the potential effects of three synthesized thalidomide derivatives on lithium-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus.

Experimental approach:

To induce status epilepticus, rats received lithium chloride (127 mg/kg, i.p.) and pilocarpine HCl (60 mg/kg, i.p.) 20 h after lithium chloride injection. Thirty min before pilocarpine HCl administration, rats received hyoscine N-butyl bromide (1 mg/kg, i.p.) and concurrently one of the test compounds (5B, 5C, and 5D), diazepam, thalidomide, or vehicle (4% DMSO) to evaluate their anti-epileptic effects. Epileptic seizures scores were assessed through the Racine scale. Twenty-four h after injection of pilocarpine, brain samples were extracted for further histopathological evaluation.

Findings/Results:

Results revealed that among tested compounds (5B, 5C, and 5D), only compound 5C (1 mg/kg) exhibited excellent anti-epileptic activity comparable to diazepam (10 mg/kg). Compound 5D (100 mg/kg) only demonstrated comparable anti-epileptic activity to thalidomide (1 mg/kg). Compound 5B did not have any anti-epileptic activity even at the dose of 100 mg/kg. The histopathological survey showed that compound 5C has more neuroprotective effects than diazepam and thalidomide in the cortex of the brain. In the cornu ammonis 1 region, thalidomide had higher protective properties and in the cornu ammonis 3 and dentate gyrus areas, diazepam had higher efficacy to prevent necrosis.

Conclusion and implications:

Compound 5C is a good candidate for further studies regarding its potency, compared to thalidomide and diazepam.

Insights about multi-targeting and synergistic neuromodulators in Ayurvedic herbs against epilepsy: integrated computational studies on drug-target and protein-protein interaction networks

Epilepsy, that comprises a wide spectrum of neuronal disorders and accounts for about one percent of global disease burden affecting people of all age groups, is recognised as apasmara in the traditional medicinal system of Indian antiquity commonly known as Ayurveda. Towards exploring the molecular level complex regulatory mechanisms of 63 anti-epileptic Ayurvedic herbs and thoroughly examining the multi-targeting and synergistic potential of 349 drug-like phytochemicals (DPCs) found therein, in this study, we develop an integrated computational framework comprising of network pharmacology and molecular docking studies. Neuromodulatory prospects of anti-epileptic herbs are probed and, as a special case study, DPCs that can regulate metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are inspected. A novel methodology to screen and systematically analyse the DPCs having similar neuromodulatory potential vis-à-vis DrugBank compounds (NeuMoDs) is developed and 11 NeuMoDs are reported. A repertoire of 74 DPCs having poly-pharmacological similarity with anti-epileptic DrugBank compounds and those under clinical trials is also reported. Further, high-confidence PPI-network specific to epileptic protein-targets is developed and the potential of DPCs to regulate its functional modules is investigated. We believe that the presented schema can open-up exhaustive explorations of indigenous herbs towards meticulous identification of clinically relevant DPCs against various diseases and disorders.