Novel antiepileptic drug lacosamide exerts neuroprotective effects by decreasing glial activation in the hippocampus of a gerbil model of ischemic stroke.

Abstract

Lacosamide, which is a novel antiepileptic drug, has been reported to exert various additional therapeutic effects. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects of lacosamide against transient cerebral ischemia-induced neuronal cell damage in the hippocampal cornu ammonis (CA)-1 region of a gerbil model. Neuronal Nuclei immunohistochemistry demonstrated that pre- and post-surgical treatment (5 min ischemia) with 25 mg/kg lacosamide protected CA1 pyramidal neurons in the lacosamide-treated-ischemia-operated group from ischemic injury 5 days post-ischemia, as compared with gerbils in the vehicle-treated-ischemia-operated group. Furthermore, treatment with 25 mg/kg lacosamide markedly attenuated the activation of astrocytes and microglia in the ischemic CA1 region at 5 days post-ischemia. The results of the present study suggested that pre- and post-surgical treatment of the gerbils with lacosamide was able to protect against transient cerebral ischemic injury-induced CA1 pyramidal neuronal cell death in the hippocampus. In addition, the neuroprotective effects of lacosamide may be associated with decreased activation of glial cells in the ischemic CA1 region.

• Authors: Ji Yun Ahn, Bing Chun Yan, Joon Ha Park, Ji Hyeon Ahn, Dae Hwan Lee, In Hye Kim, Jeong-Hwi Cho, Bai Hui Chen, Jae-Chul Lee, Young Shin Cho, Myoung Chul Shin, Jun Hwi Cho, Seongkweon Hong, Moo-Ho Won, Sung Koo Kim
• Journal: Experimental and therapeutic medicine (Exp Ther Med) Vol. 10 Issue 6 Pg. 2007-2014 (Dec 2015) ISSN: 1792-0981 [Print] Greece
• PMID: 26668588 (Publication Type: Journal Article)