Citral Effects on the Expression Profile of and Inflammatory Cytokines in Status Epilepticus-Induced Rats Using the Lithium-Pilocarpine Model.

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders. About one-third of people with epilepsy are refractory to available treatments. Studies suggest that mechanisms linked to the immune response and inflammatory process are related to seizure disorders. Citral is a monoterpene found in the essential oil of several plants, as in , used to make teas and has been the subject of numerous researches, from which it has been possible to demonstrate antiseizure and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, the effects of citral on status epilepticus (SE) induced by the lithium-pilocarpine model in rats were investigated. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) evaluated latency for seizure development, neuronal death in the hippocampus, and expression of the , tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β ( IL-1β) and factor nuclear kappa B (NF-κB) genes. The results revealed that citral was able to increase latency until the first seizure, decrease neuronal death 2 h after SE and inhibit overexpression of proinflammatory genes.