Abstract:

Objective   To investigate the protective effect of triptolide on hippocampal neuronal loss of rats with lithium chloride- pilocarpine-induced temporal lobe epilepticus (TLE) and the possible mechanisms.  Methods   70 Juvenile male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: (A) control rats that received neither pilocarpine nor triptolide (n=10), (B) rats that received just pilocarpine (n=30), and (C) rats that received pilocarpine and triptolide (n=30). Neuronal death was evaluated by Nissl and FJB staining methods. Glial activation states were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for glial markers, GFAP and IBa-1. Results   Histopathological observations showed that lithium chloride-pilocarpine caused significant hippocampal neuronal loss and glial activation compared with the control group. Pre-treatment with TP efficiently reduced lithium chloride-pilocarpine-induced seizure activities, hippocampal neuron death and glial activation. Conclusion   TP exerts a neuroprotective role in the attenuation of brain damage after SE, possibly by inhibiting glial activation to resist inflammatory reaction.

Key words: Triptolide; Epilepsy; Hippocampus; Glial fibrillary acidic protein; IBa-1; Neurons