Khadrawy_2018_J.Complement.Integr.Med_15_

Background The present study aims to investigate the neuroprotective effect of curcumin nanoparticles (Cur-NP) on the rat model of status epilepticus (SE) induced by pilocarpine. Methods In the present study, animals were divided into three groups: control animals, rat model of SE induced by a single dose of pilocarpine (380 mg/kg) injected intraperitoneally, and rat model of SE that received a daily intraperitoneal injection of Cur-NP (50 mg/kg) for four consecutive days prior to pilocarpine administration. Results The present results revealed a state of oxidative stress in the cortex and hippocampus of rat model of SE as compared to control. This was evident from the significant increase in lipid peroxidation and the significant decrease in reduced glutathione and nitric oxide. In addition, a significant increase in the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and caspase-3 was detected in the two studied brain regions of rat model of SE. The activities of acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and Na+/K+-ATPase decreased significantly in the cortex and hippocampus of rat model of SE. Protection with Cur-NP prevented oxidative stress and improved the elevated level of caspase-3 in the hippocampus and cortex and the hippocampal TNF-alpha to nonsignificant changes. Although Cur-NP prevented the decrease in AchE activity in the two studied brain regions, it failed to return Na+/K+-ATPase activity to its normal value. Conclusions It is clear from the present findings that Cur-NP could prevent the oxidative stress and neuroinflammation and cell death that were induced during SE. This in turn may help in ameliorating the subsequent cascades of events that follow SE and its development into epileptogenesis.