title: Oral Uncaria rhynchophylla (UR) reduces kainic acid-induced epileptic seizures and neuronal death accompanied by attenuating glial cell proliferation and S100B proteins in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Epilepsy is a common clinical syndrome with recurrent neuronal discharges in cerebral cortex and hippocampus. Here we aim to determine the protective role of Uncaria rhynchophylla (UR), an herbal drug belong to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), on epileptic rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  To address this issue, we tested the effect of UR on kainic acid (KA)-induced epileptic seizures and further investigate the underlying mechanisms.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Oral UR successfully decreased neuronal death and discharges in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons. The population spikes (PSs) were decreased from 4.1 ± 0.4 mV to 2.1 ± 0.3 mV in KA-induced epileptic seizures and UR-treated groups, respectively. Oral UR protected animals from neuronal death induced by KA treatment (from 34 ± 4.6 to 191.7 ± 48.6 neurons/field) through attenuating glial cell proliferation and S100B protein expression but not GABAA and TRPV1 receptors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The above results provide detail mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective action of UR on KA-induced epileptic seizure in hippocampal CA1 neurons.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Institute of Acupuncture Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yi-Wen
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Ching-Liang
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Hsieh
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007608:Kainic Acid / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D009457:Neuroglia / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D032070:Uncaria / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D010936:Plant Extracts; D064568:S100 Calcium Binding Protein beta Subunit; D009418:S100 Proteins; C579158:S100b protein, rat; D007608:Kainic Acid