Neuroprotective activity of omega-3 fatty acids against epilepsy-induced hippocampal damage: Quantification with immunohistochemical for calcium-binding proteins.

To investigate whether n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) would promote different morphological changes in the hippocampal formation of rats with epilepsy, we performed an immunocytochemical study using parvalbumin (PV) and calretinin (CR) distribution as a marker. Animals subjected to the experimental model of epilepsy with a single dose of pilocarpine were randomly divided into the following groups: animals with epilepsy treated daily with vehicle (EV) and animals with epilepsy treated daily with 85 mg/kg n-3 PUFAs (EW). Control animals administered saline were also randomly divided into two other groups: animals treated daily with vehicle (CV) and animals treated daily with 85 mg/kg n-3 PUFAs (CW). A larger number of PV-positive neurons were observed in EW when compared with EV, CV, and CW. Similarly, there were significantly more CR-positive neurons in EW than in EV. These findings demonstrate that omega-3 fatty acids prevent status epilepticus-associated neuropathological changes in the hippocampal formation of rats with epilepsy.