Neuroprotective effect of pyruvate and oxaloacetate during pilocarpine induced status epilepticus in rats.

Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery - UNIFESP São Paulo, Brazil.

Neurochemistry international 2011 Feb

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Recent research data have shown that systemic administration of pyruvate and oxaloacetate causes an increased brain-to-blood glutamate efflux. Since increased release of glutamate during epileptic seizures can lead to excitotoxicity and neuronal cell death, we tested the hypothesis that glutamate scavenging mediated by pyruvate and oxaloacetate systemic administration could have a neuroprotective effect in rats subjected to status epilepticus (SE). SE was induced by a single dose of pilocarpine (350mg/kgi.p.). Thirty minutes after SE onset, a single dose of pyruvate (250mg/kgi.p.), oxaloacetate (1.4mg/kgi.p.), or both substances was administrated. Acute neuronal loss in hippocampal regions CA1 and hilus was quantitatively determined five hours after SE onset, using the optical fractionator method for stereological cell counting. Apoptotic cascade in the hippocampus was also investigated seven days after SE using caspase-1 and -3 activity assays. SE-induced neuronal loss in CA1 was completely prevented in rats treated with pyruvate plus oxaloacetate. The SE-induced caspase-1 activation was significantly reduced when rats were treated with oxaloacetate or pyruvate plus oxaloacetate. The treatment with pyruvate and oxaloacetate caused a neuroprotective effect in rats subjected to pilocarpine-induced SE. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Citation

Andrezza Sossai Rodrigues Carvalho, Laila Brito Torres, Daniele Suzete Persike, Maria José Silva Fernandes, Debora Amado, Maria da Graça Naffah-Mazzacoratti, Esper Abrão Cavalheiro, Alexandre Valotta da Silva. Neuroprotective effect of pyruvate and oxaloacetate during pilocarpine induced status epilepticus in rats. Neurochemistry international. 2011 Feb;58(3):385-90