Frontiers in Neuroscience (Oct 2020)

Effects of Cerebrolysin on Hippocampal Neuronal Death After Pilocarpine-Induced Seizure

  • Dong Hyeon Kang,
  • Dong Hyeon Kang,
  • Bo Young Choi,
  • Song Hee Lee,
  • A Ra Kho,
  • Jeong Hyun Jeong,
  • Dae Ki Hong,
  • Beom Seok Kang,
  • Min Kyu Park,
  • Hong Ki Song,
  • Hong Ki Song,
  • Hui Chul Choi,
  • Hui Chul Choi,
  • Man-Sup Lim,
  • Sang Won Suh

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2020.568813
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 14

Abstract

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Epilepsy is one of the most common and severe brain diseases. The exact cause of epilepsy is unclear. Epilepsy often occurs following brain damage, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI) and ischemia. Cerebrolysin is a porcine brain peptide that is a unique neurotropic and neuroprotective agent. Cerebrolysin has been reported to increase neuroprotective effects after TBI, ischemia, and other CNS diseases. However, the effects of cerebrolysin on seizures are not known. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of neuropeptide cerebrolysin on neuronal death in the hippocampus after a seizure. To confirm the effects of cerebrolysin, we used a pilocarpine-induced seizure animal model. Cerebrolysin (2.5 ml/kg, i.p., once per day for 7 days) was immediately injected after a seizure induction. After 1 week, we obtained brain tissues and performed staining to histologically evaluate the potentially protective effects of cerebrolysin on seizure-induced neuronal death in the hippocampus. We found that cerebrolysin decreased hippocampal neuronal death after a seizure. In addition, an increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was confirmed through Western blot analysis to further support our hypothesis. Therefore, the present study suggests that the administration of cerebrolysin can be a useful therapeutic tool for preventing neuronal death after a seizure.

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