The use of SR-FTIR microspectroscopy for a preliminary biochemical study of the rat hippocampal formation tissue in case of pilocarpine induced epilepsy and neutroprotection with FK-506

Epilepsy is one of the most common serious neurological diseases. Nevertheless, the epileptogenesis is still not known and has been a subject of intensive investigations in which animal models are used. Presented results are based on the most often used experimental model of temporal lobe epilepsy pilocarpine-induced seizures [22, 26]. It is known that epileptic seizures strongly modify internal conditions within the nervous tissue. There are many changes in neurotransmitter release, gene activation, and elemental composition [14]. In the context of biology of the epileptic processes it is needed to reveal the relationship between the elemental and biochemical changes in the tissue affected by seizures. Beside the etiology of epilepsy animal models provide information on the action of new antiepileptic drugs. Neuroprotective factors are the agents used to minimize the pathological effects of seizures on nervous tissue. Their functions rely on increasing the ability of nerve cells to survive under pathological conditions. In the present paper an immunosuppressive drug FK-506, widely used in transplantology [1, 12, 27], was applied as neuroprotective agent. The use of SR-FTIR microspectroscopy for a preliminary biochemical study of the rat hippocampal formation tissue in case of pilocarpine induced epilepsy and neutroprotection with FK-506 Joanna Dudała, Krzysztof Janeczko, Zuzanna Setkowicz, Diane Eichert, Joanna Chwiej