• Sevim Şahin, Seren Gülşen Gürgen, Uğur Yazar, İmran İnce, Tülay Kamaşak, Acar ArslanElifEDepartment of Pediatric Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey., Betül Diler Durgut, Beril Dilber, and Ali Cansu.
• Department of Pediatric Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. Electronic address: sevimsahin1@yahoo.com.
• Epilepsy Res. 2019 Jan 1; 149: 107-116.

ObjectivesThe hippocampus is susceptible to damage in patients with epilepsy and in animals with seizures caused by excitotoxic agents. The effect of vitamin D on hippocampal apoptosis related with seizures has not been reported. However, epileptic patients have an increased risk of hypovitaminosis D which is most likely due to the effects of antiepileptic drugs. Therefore, in this study, it was aimed to evaluate the effects of vitamin D on hippocampal apoptosis related with seizures by using pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) and kainic acid (KA) in rats.MethodsMale Sprague Dawley rats, aged 5.5 weeks, were randomly divided into six groups: control, vitamin D, PTZ, KA, PTZ + vitamin D and KA + vitamin D groups. The groups that received vitamin D were given 500 IU/kg of vitamin D daily for two weeks in addition to a standard diet. At the end of this period, PTZ and KA were applied to trigger seizures in the rats in the seizure groups. 24 h after the administration of PTZ and KA, the rats were decapitated. In the hippocampal region, apoptosis was assessed by TUNEL and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), Bax, caspase-3 and c-fos activation were evaluated by immunohistochemical method.ResultsBDNF level increased while c-fos, Bax and caspase-3 levels decreased (p < 0.0001, in all) in the hippocampal neurons of the groups that were pre-treated with vitamin D before the administration of PTZ and KA, in comparison with the PTZ and KA groups. Vitamin D significantly decreased the number of apoptotic cells in these rats in comparison with the PTZ and KA groups (p < 0.0001).ConclusionThis study indicates that vitamin D has neuroprotective effects on hippocampal apoptosis induced by PTZ and KA in rats. With this study it is suggested that keeping vitamin D levels within normal limits may be beneficial for patients with epilepsy, especially children.Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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