Main Article Content

Protective effect of Wuling mycelia, alone and in combination with valproic acid, on pentylenetetrazolinduced epilepsy in rats


Liming Wei
Boqun Cao
Chen Jia
Rui Zhang
Yuting Liu
Yujun Qiao

Abstract

Purpose: To determine the inhibitory effects of Wuling mycelia, alone and in combination with valproic acid (VPA) on pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced epileptic seizure in rats, and their protective effects on cognitive impairment.
Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: control (sham), model, Wuling mycelia, VPA and combination groups. Rats in Wuling mycelia group were given oral Wuling mycelia alone at a dose of 594 mg/kg, while those in VPA group were given oral VPA alone at a dose of 189 mg/kg. In the combination group, rats received oral VPA at a dose of 189 mg/kg co-administered with Wuling mycelia at a dose of 594 mg/kg. One hour after the treatments, the control group was injected with physiological saline intraperitoneally, while the other four groups were injected with PTZ solution once a day for 28 days. Subsequently, seizure intensity, cognitive impairment, neuronal loss and hippocampal expressions of IL-1β, NF-ĸB/p65 and TLR4 were determine in all groups.
Results: Combined use of Wuling mycelium and VPA significantly reduced the frequency and the grade of seizures (p <0.01), and also decreased the degree of cognitive impairment (p <0.05). There were marked increases in neuronal damage and hippocampal  expression levels of NF-ĸB/p65, TLR4 and IL1β (inflammatory cytokines) in the model group (p < 0.05). However, these changes were  reversed in the combination treatment group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Wuling mycelia is a potentially effective adjunct drug for the treatment of refractory epilepsy. The underlying mechanism might involve downregulations of NF-ĸB/p65, TLR4 and IL-1β.


Keywords: Wuling mycelia, Refractory epilepsy, Seizure, Traditional Chinese medicine, Hippocampal area, HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB  signalling pathway, IL-1β, NF-ĸB/p65, TLR4


Journal Identifiers


eISSN: 1596-9827
print ISSN: 1596-5996