Abstract
A relationship between status epilepticus (SE) and oxidative stress has recently begun to be recognized. To explore whether the flavonoids extracted from licorice (LFs) have any protective effect on kainate (KA)-induced seizure in mice, we treated mice with LFs before and after KA injection. In KA-treated mice, we found that superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity decreased immediately after the onset of seizure at 1 h and then increased at 6 h. It returned to baseline 1 d after seizure and then increased again at 3, 7, and 28 d, while malondialdehyde (MDA) content remained at a high level at 1 h, 6 h, 3 d, 7 d, and 28 d, indicating a more oxidized status related to the presence of more reactive oxygen species (ROS). Treatment with LFs before KA injection reversed the seizure-induced change in SOD activity and MDA content at 1 h, 6 h, 3 d, 7 d, and 28 d. Treatment with LFs after seizure decreased KA-induced SOD activity and MDA content at 7 and 28 d. Also, LF pre- and post-KA treatments decreased seizure-induced neuronal cell death. Subsequently, Morris water maze tests revealed that the escape latency was significantly decreased and the number of target quadrant crossings was markedly increased in the LF-treated groups. Thus, our data indicate that LFs have protective effects on seizure-induced neuronal cell death and cognitive impairment through their anti-oxidative effects.
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Project supported by the Scientific Research Foundation for Returned Scholars of the Ministry of Education of China (2011), the Project of Experiment Animal Platform of Department of Science and Technology of Zhejiang Province (No. 2013C37026), and the Hangzhou Science and Technology Development Plan (No. 20100333T24), China
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Zeng, Lh., Zhang, Hd., Xu, Cj. et al. Neuroprotective effects of flavonoids extracted from licorice on kainate-induced seizure in mice through their antioxidant properties. J. Zhejiang Univ. Sci. B 14, 1004–1012 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1300138
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1631/jzus.B1300138