Expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in brain tissue of patients with intractable epilepsy.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the expression ofmonocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) in the brain tissue of patients with intractable epilepsy (IE) and to explore its role in the pathogenesis of IE.

MATERIAL

Patients with IE were collected from the Department of Neurosurgery of several Chinese hospitals between 2002 and 2005. The average age of these 40 patients was 23.65 +/- 10.14 (X +/- SD) years (11 - 58 years), with 19 males and 21 females. In addition to the typical symptoms and distinct EEG features of epilepsy, all recruited patients met the requirements of intractable epilepsy.

METHODS

On the basis of positive results obtained from gene chip analysis, the expression of MCP-1 was first investigated in the brain tissue of IE patients (40 cases) using Western Blotting and immunohistochemistry and then compared with the controls.

RESULTS

Gene chip scanning demonstrated that expression of MCP-1 mRNA was upregulated in the brain tissue of patients with IE. Western Blotting and immunohistochemical experiments further confirmed that, as compared with that in the control group, expression of MCP-1 protein was significantly increased in the IE patients (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

These results suggest that MCP-1 are involved in the pathogenesis of IE.