Effect of levetiracetam and carbenoxolone on epilepsy model rats and related molecular mechanism

摘要

Objective:To study the effect of levetiracetam and carbenoxolone on epileptic seizures, neuron apoptosis and connexin expression in epilepsy model rats.Methods:Male SD rats were selected and divided into control group, epilepsy model group, carbenoxolone group and levetiracetam group; epilepsy model group, carbenoxolone group and levetiracetam group received intraperitoneal injection of lithium chloride-pilocarpine to establish epilepsy models and were given saline, carbenoxolone and levetiracetam treatment respectively. The epileptic seizures of the four groups of rats were observed, and the cell apoptosis as well as Cx26, Cx30, Cx43, Bcl-2, Bax and Caspase-3 expression levels in brain hippocampus was determined.Results: Epileptic seizure incubation of levetiracetam group and carbenoxolone group were significantly longer than that of epilepsy model group and the frequency of seizures were significantly less than that of epilepsy model group, epileptic seizure incubation of levetiracetam group was significantly longer than that of carbenoxolone group and the frequency of seizures was significantly less than that of carbenoxolone group. Cx26, Cx30, Cx43, Bax and Caspase-3 protein levels in hippocampus tissue of levetiracetam group and carbenoxolone group were significantly lower than those of epilepsy model group, Bcl-2 protein levels and positive Nissl staining cell number were significantly higher than that of epilepsy model group, positive TUNNEL staining cell number were significantly less than that of epilepsy model group; Cx26, Cx30, Cx43, Bax and Caspase-3 protein levels and positive Nissl staining cell number in hippocampus tissue of levetiracetam group were significantly lower than those of carbenoxolone group, Bcl-2 protein level was significantly higher than that of carbenoxolone group, positive TUNNEL staining cell number was significantly less than that of carbenoxolone group.Conclusions: Levetiracetam has better effect on inhibiting the epileptic seizures in epilepsy model rats than carbenoxolone, and inhibiting connexin expression and cell apoptosis is the molecular mechanism of levetiracetam to play the antiepileptic role.