Kronik Levetirasetam Uygulanan Normal ve Temporal Lob Epilepsi Modeli Oluşturulmuş Sıçanlarda Aromataz Ekspresyonu Değişiklikleri

Abstract

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) model was generated at male Wistar rats by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of excitotoxic agent kainic acid (KA). This thesis work has been done as to investigate possible side-effects on gonadal tissue functionality and aromatase expression change of contemporarily, highly efficient, new generation antiepileptic drug (AED) levetiracetam (LEV) at 27 mg/kg/day dose and increasing doses (54 ve 108 mg/kg/day). Expression level of aromatase enzyme was found to be up-regulated 1.5 times than controls in brain cortex of TLE groups after 4 weeks and hippocampus after 4 and 8 weeks. There was no change compared with controls in aromatase expression of all times in only LTC (27, 54 ve 108 mg/kg/day) given groups for 4 weeks and these results are confirmed with immunohistochemistry experiments in 8 week groups. Compensatory protective mechanisms are activated via the increase of aromatase expression in neurodegenerative damage, caused by hyperexcitation in TLE model, however it can be said that effect mechanism of LTC is not associated with aromatase expression in brain cortex and hippocampus. At experiments on gonadal tissues; administration of LTC, 27 mg/kg/day, did not change vas deferens contractions at the end of the 1, 4, or 8 weeks compared with controls. In addition, when LTC administered in increasing doses no histological changes were observed in vas deferens, epididymis and testis at the end of 8 weeks. After administration of 27 and 54 mg/kg/day LTC; testis aromatase expression was down-regulated at the end of 8 weeks compared to controls but has not changed at 108 mg/kg/day dose. According to these results it can be said that LTC did not cause adverse side effects on the functionality of gonadal tissues.