Myelin damage of hippocampus and cerebral cortex in rat pentylenetetrazol model.

Abstract

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures, which also occur in demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system (CNS) with a higher prevalence. Meanwhile, demyelination occurrings have been occasionally observed in CNS of epilepsy patients, indicating an association between demyelination and epileptic seizures by an unknown mechanism. However, no confirmative experimental evidence has yet been given. Thus, by using a rat pentylenetetrazol model, electroencephalogram (EEG), Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunohistochemistry, the present study provided direct evidence that myelin sheath damage in rat hippocampus and cerebral cortex started in the early stage of epileptic seizures induction and lasted with no further increase in severity in the development of epileptic seizures. It was illustrated that myelin sheath damage was not the result of oligodendrocyte destruction, but the autoantibodies against myelin basic protein (MBP) produced in peripheral circulation accompanied by increased permeability of blood-brain barrier (BBB) formed in the development of epileptic seizures. This study firstly provided experimental evidence for myelin sheath damage in PTZ-induced rat's epileptic seizures and further demonstrated that its possible cause was autoimmunoreaction.

• Authors: Yu You, Hui Bai, Chao Wang, Liang-Wei Chen, Bei Liu, Hua Zhang, Guo-Dong Gao
• Journal: Brain research (Brain Res) Vol. 1381 Pg. 208-16 (Mar 24 2011) ISSN: 1872-6240 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 21256118 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Autoantibodies
• Myelin Basic Protein
• Pentylenetetrazole

Topics

• Animals
• Autoantibodies (metabolism)
• Blood-Brain Barrier (drug effects, metabolism, pathology)
• Blotting, Western
• Cerebral Cortex (drug effects, metabolism, pathology)
• Electroencephalography
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• Epilepsy (chemically induced, metabolism, pathology)
• Hippocampus (drug effects, metabolism, pathology)
• Immunohistochemistry
• Male
• Myelin Basic Protein (metabolism)
• Myelin Sheath (drug effects, metabolism, pathology)
• Nerve Fibers, Myelinated (drug effects, metabolism, pathology)
• Oligodendroglia (drug effects, metabolism, pathology)
• Pentylenetetrazole
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley