Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
Mol Biotechnol. 2024 Sep;66(9):2230-2240. doi: 10.1007/s12033-023-00851-7. Epub 2023 Aug 23.
Saikosaponin-a (SSa) exhibits antiepileptic effects. However, its poor water solubility and inability to pass through the blood-brain barrier greatly limit its clinical development and application. In this study, SSa-loaded Methoxy poly (ethylene glycol)-poly(ε-caprolactone) (MePEG-SSa-PCL) NPs were successfully prepared and characterized. Our objective was to further investigate the effect of this composite on acute seizure in mice. First, we confirmed the particle size and surface potential of the composite (51.00 ± 0.25 nm and - 33.77 ± 2.04 mV, respectively). Further, we compared the effects of various MePEG-SSa-PCL doses (low, medium, and high) with those of free SSa, valproic acid (VPA - positive control), and saline only (model group) on acute seizure using three different acute epilepsy mouse models. We observed that compared with the model group, the three MePEG-SSa-PCL treatments showed significantly lowered seizure frequency in mice belonging to the maximum electroconvulsive model group. In the pentylenetetrazol and kainic acid (KA) acute epilepsy models, MePEG-SSa-PCL increased both clonic and convulsion latency periods and shortened convulsion duration more effectively than equivalent SSa-only doses. Furthermore, hematoxylin-eosin and Nissl staining revealed considerably less neuronal damage in the hippocampal CA3 area of KA mice in the SSa, VPA, and three MePEG-SSa-PCL groups relative to mice in the model group. Hippocampal gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABA-A) receptor and cleaved caspase-3 expression levels in KA mice were significantly higher and lower, respectively, in the three MePEG-SSa-PCL treatment groups than in the model group. Thus, MePEG-SSa-PCL exhibited a more potent antiepileptic effect than SSa in acute mouse epilepsy models and could alleviate neuronal damage in the hippocampus following epileptic seizures, possibly via GABA-A receptor expression upregulation.
柴胡皂苷-a(SSa)具有抗癫痫作用。然而,其较差的水溶性和不能穿透血脑屏障极大地限制了其临床开发和应用。本研究成功制备并表征了负载柴胡皂苷-a 的甲氧基聚乙二醇-聚(ε-己内酯)(MePEG-SSa-PCL)纳米粒。我们的目的是进一步研究该复合物对小鼠急性癫痫发作的影响。首先,我们确认了该复合物的粒径和表面电位(分别为 51.00±0.25nm 和-33.77±2.04mV)。进一步,我们比较了不同剂量的 MePEG-SSa-PCL(低、中、高)与游离 SSa、丙戊酸钠(阳性对照)和生理盐水(模型组)对三种不同急性癫痫小鼠模型的急性癫痫发作的影响。结果发现,与模型组相比,三种 MePEG-SSa-PCL 处理均显著降低了最大电惊厥模型组小鼠的癫痫发作频率。在戊四氮和红藻氨酸(KA)急性癫痫模型中,MePEG-SSa-PCL 可更有效地增加阵挛和惊厥潜伏期,并缩短惊厥持续时间,与等效的 SSa 剂量相比。此外,苏木精-伊红和尼氏染色显示,SSa、VPA 和三种 MePEG-SSa-PCL 组的 KA 小鼠海马 CA3 区的神经元损伤明显少于模型组。KA 小鼠海马γ-氨基丁酸-A(GABA-A)受体和 cleaved caspase-3 的表达水平在三种 MePEG-SSa-PCL 处理组中明显高于模型组,而 caspase-3 的表达水平明显低于模型组。因此,MePEG-SSa-PCL 对急性小鼠癫痫模型的抗癫痫作用强于 SSa,可减轻癫痫发作后海马神经元损伤,可能通过上调 GABA-A 受体表达。
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