title: Effects of Nigella sativa on apoptosis and GABAAreceptor density in cerebral cortical and hippocampal neurons in pentylenetetrazol induced kindling in rats.
abstract: We investigated the effects of Nigella sativa on apoptosis and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor density in cerebral cortical and hippocampal neurons in a pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced kindling model in rats. The PTZ kindling model was produced by injecting PTZ in subconvulsive doses to rats on days 1, 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 19, 22 and 24 of the study into animals of PTZ treated (PTZ) and PTZ + N. sativa treated (PTZ + NS) groups. Clonic and tonic seizures were induced by injecting a convulsive dose of PTZ on day 26 of the study. Rats in the PTZ + NS group were treated also with a 10 mg/kg methanolic extract of N. sativa 2 h before each PTZ injection. Rats in the control group were treated with 4 ml/kg saline. The number of neurons that expressed GABAAreceptors in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of rats in the PTZ and PTZ + NS groups increased significantly. There was no significant difference in the number of GABAAreceptors between the PTZ and PTZ + NS groups. GABAAreceptor density of the neurons in the cerebral cortex, but not hippocampus, was increased in PTZ group compared to controls. We observed a significant increase in the number of apoptotic neurons in the cerebral cortex of rats of both the PTZ and PTZ + NS groups compared to controls. We observed a significant decrease in the number of the apoptotic neurons in the cerebral cortex of rats in the PTZ + NS group compared to the PTZ group. N. sativa treatment ameliorated the PTZ induced neurodegeneration in the cerebral cortex as reflected by neuronal apoptosis and neuronal GABAAreceptor frequency.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physiology , School of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Meral
authors.affiliation: b Department of Histology and Embryology , School of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Esrefoglu
authors.affiliation: c Department of Biology , Faculty of Science, Istanbul University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Dar
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physiology , School of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ustunova
authors.affiliation: b Department of Histology and Embryology , School of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Aydin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Physiology , School of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Demirtas
authors.affiliation: d Department of Anatomy , School of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakif University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Arifoglu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D007696:Kindling, Neurologic; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D031881:Nigella sativa / Q000378:metabolism*; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole / Q000633:toxicity*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011963:Receptors, GABA-A / Q000378:metabolism*; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D011963:Receptors, GABA-A; D005680:gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole
keywords: GABAA receptor; Nigella sativa; apoptosis; brain; cerebral cortex; epilepsy; hippocampus; kindling model; pentylenetetrazol