title: Gestational treatment of folic acid attenuates blood-brain barrier leakage in pregnant- and prepubertal rats after pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Folic acid (FA) is physiologically important in mammals and is a common vitamin supplement used during pregnancy and lactation. Numerous studies have reported that FA significantly improves endothelial function. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays an important role in maintaining the microenvironment required for neuronal function, but its unique structure is damaged by epileptic seizures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential protective role of FA on BBB leakage, as well as on the reactive astrogliosis in pregnant rats and their prepubertal offspring during pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced epileptic seizure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant rats were treated with FA (5 mg/kg) and PTZ on gestational days 0-19 and 19, respectively. The pups were treated with PTZ at puberty. Evans blue was used to evaluate BBB integrity. Reactive astrogliosis was defined using immunohistochemical analysis for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) was measured at the femoral artery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A moderate decrease in BBB leakage was observed in FA-treated pregnant and prepubertal animals (P < 0.05). MABP was decreased significantly in pregnant rats (P < 0.05). The epilepsy-induced increase in MABP was less prominent in pregnant animals (P < 0.05). GFAP intensity decreased in PTZ-treated pregnant animals (P < 0.01) and FA-treated prepubertal rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that FA, which is used as a maternal vitamin to promote normal fetus development, may be beneficial against seizure-induced neuronal damage by decreasing BBB leakage and reactive astrogliosis in pregnant and prepubertal rats.
authors.forename: Fatma Burcu
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Seker
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yorulmaz
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaptan
authors.forename: Berrak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Caglayan
authors.forename: Baria
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Oztas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D005492:Folic Acid; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole
keywords: Blood–brain barrier; Epilepsy; Folic acid; Glial fibrillary acidic protein; Pregnancy