Antiepileptic action of exogenous dehydroepiandrosterone in iron-induced epilepsy in rat brain.
In the study described here, the antiepileptic effect of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) treatment on iron-induced focal epileptiform activity in the rat brain was investigated. DHEA is a neuroactive corticosteroid hormone synthesized both in the adrenal cortex and in the brain. Its antioxidant properties are well known. As oxidative stress seems to play a major role in epileptogenesis in the iron-induced model of posttraumatic epilepsy, it was of interest to examine whether DHEA would exert antiepileptic activity. DHEA at a dose of 30 mg/kg/day administered intraperitoneally for 7, 14, and 21 days to iron-induced epileptic rats prevented epileptiform electrophysiological activity. Morris water maze and open-field tests on iron-induced epileptic rats revealed that DHEA also prevented behavioral alterations related to epileptiform activity. Thus, DHEA attenuated the cognitive defects produced by epileptic activity. Moreover, alterations in epileptogenesis-related biochemical parameters-lipid peroxidation, protein oxidation and Na(+), K(+)-ATPase (sodium pump) activity--were also countered by DHEA.
Mishra
Monika
M
Laboratory of Neurobiology, School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.
Singh
Rameshwar
R
Sharma
Deepak
D
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D007501:Iron / Q000009:adverse effects; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012044:Regression Analysis; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase / Q000378:metabolism; D013997:Time Factors
D000927:Anticonvulsants; D003687:Dehydroepiandrosterone; D007501:Iron; D000254:Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase