Abstract:

Objective    To explore the protective effect of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) selective inhibitor SB20219 on hippocampal neurons in rats with kainic acid(KA)induced intractable epilepsy. Methods    50 SD rats were randomly divided into the negative group, the control group and the SB202190 treatment group, which was further divided into 3 subgroups，  the low dose group, the medium dose group and the high dose group. Behaviors were observed according to the criteria of Racine. Expressions of C-myc and Mkk3 were detected by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. The number of apoptosis neurons was observed and the apoptosis rate was calculated by TUNEL. Results    Behavior observation according to the Racine grading standard showed seizurefree in the negative group; the degree of attack was III-IV in the control group, while mostly I-II in the SB202190 treatment groups. Expressions of C-myc and Mkk3 were significantly decreased, and apoptosis cells reduced in the SB202190 treatment groups than those in the control group (P<0.01). Conclusion    SB202190 has protective effect on neurons of KA-induced intractable epilepsy rats. The mechanism may be associated with depressions of C-myc and Mkk3 expressions.

Key words: Status epilepticus； Apoptosis； Kainic acid； SB202190； Rats， sprague-dawley