A Compared Study of Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid in Improving Seizure-Induced Cognitive Deficiency in a Pentylenetetrazol-Kindling Young Mice Model.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that is more prevalent in children, and recurrent unprovoked seizures can lead to cognitive impairment. Numerous studies have reported the benefits of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) on neurodevelopment and cognitive ability, while comparatively less attention has been given to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Additionally, little is known about the effects and mechanisms of DHA and EPA in relation to seizure-induced cognitive impairment in the young rodent model. Current research indicates that ferroptosis is involved in epilepsy and cognitive deficiency in children. Further investigation is warranted to determine whether EPA or DHA can mitigate seizure-induced cognitive deficits by inhibiting ferroptosis. Therefore, this study was conducted to compare the effects of DHA and EPA on seizure-induced cognitive deficiency and reveal the underlying mechanisms focused on ferroptosis in a pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-kindling young mice model. Mice were fed a diet containing DHA-enriched ethyl esters or EPA-enriched ethyl esters for 21 days at the age of 3 weeks and treated with PTZ (35 mg/kg, i.p.) every other day 10 times. The findings indicated that both EPA and DHA exhibited ameliorative effects on seizure-induced cognitive impairment, with EPA demonstrating a superior efficacy. Further mechanism study revealed that supplementation of DHA and EPA significantly increased cerebral DHA and EPA levels, balanced neurotransmitters, and inhibited ferroptosis by modulating iron homeostasis and reducing lipid peroxide accumulation in the hippocampus through activating the Nrf2/Sirt3 signal pathway. Notably, EPA exhibited better an advantage in ameliorating iron dyshomeostasis compared to DHA, owing to its stronger upregulation of Sirt3. These results indicate that DHA and EPA can efficaciously alleviate seizure-induced cognitive deficiency by inhibiting ferroptosis in PTZ-kindled young mice.

Synthesis and evaluation of the anticonvulsant activity of 8-alkoxy-4,5-dihydrobenzo[b][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-d][1,4]thiazepine derivatives.

Two series of 8-alkoxy-4,5-dihydrobenzo[b][1,2,4]triazolo[4,3-d][1,4]thiazepine derivatives (6a-q and 7a-q) were synthesized and evaluated for their anticonvulsant activity using the maximal electroshock (MES) method. All of the compounds prepared were effective in the MES screens. Among which, compound 7j was considered as the most promising one with an ED50 value of 26.3 mg/kg and a superior protective index value of 12.6. The potency of compound 7j against seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole, 3-mercaptopropionic acid and bicuculline suggested that two different mechanisms of action might potentially be involved in its anticonvulsant activity, including the inhibition of voltage-gated ion channels and the modulation of GABAergic activity. A computational study was also conducted to predict the pharmacokinetic properties of the compounds prepared, with the results supporting the use of these compounds as a group of promising antiepileptic agents.