Immunohistochemical study of Metallothionein in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy

Epilepsy is characterized by spontaneous recurrent seizures and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common serious neurological example of acquired and frequent epilepsy. Oxidative stress is recognized as playing a contributing role in several neurological disorders, and most recently have been implicated in acquired epilepsies. The MTs occur in several brain regions and may serve as neuroprotective proteins against reactive oxygen species causing oxidative damage and stress. The main aim of this work was to describe the immunohistochemical localization of MT in the specimens derived from the patients affected by TLE. Histopathological examination showed NeuN, GFAP and MT immunopositive cells that were analyzed for determinate in hippocampal and parietal cortex samples. An increase in the reactive gliosis associated with increased MT expression was observed in patients with TLE.