The fruit fly as a screening model for antiseizure medications.

OBJECTIVE

Resistance to antiseizure medications (ASMs) is a major challenge in the treatment of patients with epilepsy. Despite numerous newly marketed ASMs, the proportion of drug-resistant people with epilepsy has not significantly decreased over the years. Therefore, novel and innovative seizure models for preclinical drug screening are highly desirable. Here, we explore the efficacy of a broad spectrum of ASMs in suppressing seizure activity in two established bang-sensitive mutants. These mutants respond with seizures to mechanical stimulation, providing a promising platform for screening novel ASMs.

METHODS

Seven frequently used ASMs (brivaracetam, cenobamate, lacosamide, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, phenytoin, and valproate) were administered to the bang-sensitive mutants ( ) and ( ). After 48 h of treatment, the flies were vortexed to induce mechanical stimulation. The seizure probability (i.e., ratio of seizing and non-seizing flies) as well as the seizure duration were analyzed.

RESULTS

In case of mutants, treatment with the sodium channel blockers phenytoin and lamotrigine resulted in a robust reduction of seizure probability, whereas flies treated with lacosamide showed a decrease in seizure duration. Treatment with valproate resulted in both a reduction in seizure probability and in seizure duration. In contrast, levetiracetam, brivaracetam and cenobamate had no effect on the bang-sensitive phenotype of flies. In case of flies, none of the tested medications significantly reduced seizure activity, supporting its role as a model of intractable epilepsy.

SIGNIFICANCE

Our results show that particularly sodium channel blockers as well as valproate are effective in suppressing seizure activity in the bang-sensitive mutant . These findings demonstrate the usability of for screening drugs with antiseizure properties. Due to fewer ethical concerns, the short life cycle, and low maintenance costs, might provide an attractive and innovative high-throughput model for the discovery of novel antiseizure compounds.