title: Melatonin administration after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus: a new way to prevent or attenuate postlesion epilepsy?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The goal of this study was to verify the effects of treatment with melatonin and N-acetylserotonin on the pilocarpine-induced epilepsy model.
  
  
  METHODS
  The animals were divided into four groups: (1) animals treated with saline (Saline); (2) animals that received pilocarpine and exhibited SE (SE); (3) animals that exhibited SE and were treated with N-acetylserotonin (30 minutes and 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours) after SE onset (SE+NAS); (4) animals that exhibited SE and were treated with melatonin at the same time the SE+NAS group (SE+MEL). Behavioral (latency to first seizure, frequency of seizures, and mortality) and histological (Nissl and neo-Timm) parameters were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The animals treated with melatonin (SE+MEL) had a decreased number of spontaneous seizures during the chronic period (P<0.05), a reduction in mossy fiber sprouting, and less cell damage than the SE group. Animals treated with N-acetylserotonin did not exhibit any kind of significant change.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Melatonin exerts an important neuroprotective effect by attenuating SE-induced postlesion and promoting a decrease in the number of seizures in epileptic rats. This suggests, for the first time, that melatonin could be used co-therapeutically in treatment of patients exhibiting SE to minimize associated injuries in these situations.
authors: Disciplina de Neurologia Experimental, Escola Paulista de Medicina, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Eliângela
authors: E
authors: Lima
authors: Francisco R
authors: FR
authors: Cabral
authors: Esper A
authors: EA
authors: Cavalheiro
authors: Maria da Graça
authors: Mda G
authors: Naffah-Mazzacoratti
authors: Débora
authors: D
authors: Amado
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010862:Pilocarpine; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012701:Serotonin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013226:Status Epilepticus / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D010862:Pilocarpine; D012701:Serotonin; D008550:Melatonin; C006389:N-acetylserotonin