Cukurova Medical Journal (Dec 2020)
Expression levels of KCNQ1 and KCNQ3 genes in experimental epilepsy model
Abstract
Purpose: Status epilepticus (SE) is a highly common neurological disease in children, with recurrent generalized convulsions for more than 30 minutes, and when not controlled, neuronal damage occurs in the brain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in KCNQ1 and KCNQ3 gene expression levels in the acute period after SE. Materials and Methods: In rats, an experimental SE model was created with Li-Pc. Study; female Wistar albino [250–350 g, 21 (n=7)] rats were used in 3 groups as SE, control and sham groups. The total RNA obtained from brain tissues was converted to cDNA, and gene expression levels of KCNQ1 and KCNQ3 genes were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) method. Results: Statistically in SE group; compared to the control and sham groups, a significant difference was observed in the gene expression levels of the KCNQ1 and KCNQ3 ion channels. The KCNQ1 and KCNQ3 gene expression levels of the experimental group was found higher than the other groups. Conclusion: Determining the changes in mRNA expression levels of genes encoding K+ ion channels will help to better understand the pathological mechanisms that occur during epilepsy. In the SE experimental model created, it is believed that an increase in mRNA expression of KCNQ1 and KCNQ3 will lead to drug therapy studies planned for the future.
