Wistar Audiogenic Rats (WAR) exhibit altered levels of cytokines and brain-derived neurotrophic factor following audiogenic seizures

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 597; pp. 154 - 158
• Main Authors: de Souza Bernardino, Túlio Cezar, Teixeira, Antonio Lúcio, Miranda, Aline Silva, Guidine, Patrícia Maia, Rezende, Gustavo, Doretto, Maria Carolina, Castro, Gabriel Perfeito, Drummond, Luciana, Moraes, Márcio Flávio Dutra, Tito, Pedro Augusto Lopes, de Oliveira, Antonio Carlos Pinheiro, Reis, Helton José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier Ireland Ltd 15.06.2015
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation; Animals; BDNF; Brain - metabolism; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor - metabolism; Cytokines; Cytokines - metabolism; Inflammation; Interleukin-1beta - metabolism; Male; Rats, Wistar; Seizures; Seizures - etiology; Seizures - metabolism; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha - metabolism; Wistar Audiogenic Rats; Inflammation; Cytokines; Wistar Audiogenic Rats; BDNF; Seizures
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2015.04.046

•Cytokines and BDNF were determined after seizures in a genetic model of epilepsy, the Wistar Audiogenic Rats (WAR).•WAR reveal increased levels of these mediators in different brain regions.•IL-1β and BDNF are increased in the cortex of WAR after the seizures.•IL-6 is increased in the cortex and striatum of WAR after the seizures.•TNF-α is increased in cortex, striatum and inferior colliculus of WAR after the seizures. Increasing body of evidence suggests that inflammatory and neurotrophic factors might be important for epileptogenesis. Most animal studies demonstrated altered levels of these mediators in drug-induced models of seizures and epilepsy. In the present study, we investigated the production of cytokines and a neurotrophin in the brain of Wistar Audiogenic Rats (WAR), a genetic model of epilepsy, stimulated with high-intensity sound. Four hours after stimulation, animals were decapitated and the hippocampus, inferior colliculus, striatum and cortex were removed for evaluation of the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). All the cytokines and BDNF levels were increased in the cortex. Increased levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were also observed in the striatum. Finally, TNF-α also increased in the inferior colliculus after the seizures induced by high-intensity sound. Although different studies have demonstrated that the levels of cytokines and BDNF increase in animal models of epilepsy induced by chemical stimuli, we provided here evidence that these mediators are also increased in WAR, a genetic model of epilepsy. Thus, the observed increase in these mediators might be involved in the pathophysiology of epilepsy.