Treatment with CCR2 antagonist is neuroprotective but does not alter epileptogenesis in the pilocarpine rat model of epilepsy.

Neuroinflammation role on epileptogenesis has been the subject of increasing interest. Many studies showed elevation in cytokines and chemokines expression following seizures, such as, CCL2 protein (C-C motif ligand 2 chemokine) and its specific receptor, CCR2. In addition, recent studies manipulating the CCL2/CCR2 complex verified improved seizure outcome in different seizure models. In the present study, the effects of CCR2 antagonist was investigated using the pilocarpine rat model of epilepsy. Status epilepticus (SE) was induced by pilocarpine i.p. injection in adult rats. Daily oral treatment with CCR2 antagonist or vehicle was initiated 5 h following SE and lasted 5 or 10 days. Rats were euthanized 5 days after SE to evaluate neuronal damage and glial density or 30 days after SE to investigate spontaneous seizures development and seizure susceptibility to a second hit pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) test. Rats that received CCR2 antagonist presented less degenerating cells at hippocampal CA1 region. There was also a significant decrease in CA1 volume after SE that was not observed in treated rats. On the other hand, microglia cell density increased after SE regardless of CCR2 antagonist use. Treatment with CCR2 antagonist did not alter spontaneous seizure occurrence or later seizure susceptibility to PTZ in chronic rats. Additional rats were pretreated with CCR2 antagonist prior to SE induction, but this did not change SE progression. The data show that oral treatment with CCR2 antagonist is neuroprotective, but does not alter other epileptogenic factors, such as, neuroinflammation, or seizure development, after pilocarpine-induced SE in rats.