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Published on: August 15, 2017
Anticonvulsant activity of bone marrow cells in electroconvulsive seizures in mice
Enéas Galdini Ferrazoli1, Miriam Marcela Blanco, Simone Bittencourt
1Laboratório de Neurofisiologia, Departamento de Fisiologia, Federal University of São Paulo - UNIFESP, R, Botucatu, 862 5 andar, V, Clementino - CEP, 04023-066, São Paulo, Brazil. beatriz.longo@unifesp.br.
Background:
Bone marrow is an accessible source of progenitor cells, which have been investigated as treatment for neurological diseases in a number of clinical trials. Here we evaluated the potential benefit of bone marrow cells in protecting against convulsive seizures induced by maximum electroconvulsive shock (MES), a widely used model for screening of anti-epileptic drugs. Behavioral and inflammatory responses were measured after MES induction in order to verify the effects promoted by transplantation of bone marrow cells. To assess the anticonvulsant effects of bone marrow cell transplantation, we measured the frequency and duration of tonic seizure, the mortality rate, the microglial expression and the blood levels of cytokine IL-1, IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α after MES induction. We hypothesized that these behavioral and inflammatory responses to a strong stimulus such as a convulsive seizure could be modified by the transplantation of bone marrow cells.
Results:
Bone marrow transplanted cells altered the convulsive threshold and showed anticonvulsant effect by protecting from tonic seizures. Bone marrow cells modified the microglial expression in the analyzed brain areas, increased the IL-10 and attenuate IL-6 levels.
Conclusions:
Bone marrow cells exert protective effects by blocking the course of electroconvulsive seizures. Additionally, electroconvulsive seizures induced acute inflammatory responses by altering the pattern of microglia expression, as well as in IL-6 and IL-10 levels. Our findings also indicated that the anticonvulsant effects of these cells can be tested with the MES model following the same paradigm used for drug testing in pharmacological screening. Studies on the inflammatory reaction in response to acute seizures in the presence of transplanted bone marrow cells might open a wide range of discussions on the mechanisms relevant to the pathophysiology of epilepsies.
Insights
Bone marrow cells offer anticonvulsant effects, protecting against seizures and modulating inflammatory responses. This study demonstrates their potential in epilepsy treatment and research.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Regenerative Medicine
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Bone marrow progenitor cells are explored for neurological disease treatments.
- The maximum electroconvulsive shock (MES) model is used to screen anti-epileptic drugs.
- Investigating bone marrow cells' protective effects against MES-induced seizures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate bone marrow cells' potential in protecting against MES-induced convulsive seizures.
- To assess the impact of bone marrow cell transplantation on behavioral and inflammatory responses post-MES.
- To determine the anticonvulsant effects and inflammatory modulation by bone marrow cells.
Main Methods:
- Transplantation of bone marrow cells.
- Induction of seizures using maximum electroconvulsive shock (MES).
- Measurement of seizure frequency, duration, mortality, microglial expression, and cytokine levels (IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α).
Main Results:
- Bone marrow cells altered the convulsive threshold and demonstrated anticonvulsant effects.
- Transplanted cells protected against tonic seizures.
- Bone marrow cells modified microglial expression, increased IL-10, and attenuated IL-6 levels.
Conclusions:
- Bone marrow cells provide protective effects against electroconvulsive seizures.
- Electroconvulsive seizures trigger acute inflammatory responses, affecting microglia and cytokine levels.
- The MES model can be utilized to test the anticonvulsant effects of bone marrow cells, aiding epilepsy research.
