Rabi Atabaki - Rayan Center for Neuroscience & Behavior, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran
Ali Roohbakhsh - Pharmaceutical Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Soghra Mehri - Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Ali Moghimi - Rayan Center for Neuroscience & Behavior, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran

Introduction: Febrile seizures are the most common form of seizures in the early years of a child s life, which affect 2-5% of children. Febrile seizures can predispose children to have subsequent epilepsy and must be taken seriously. It has been reported that induction of oxidative stress is involved in pathogenesis of epileptic seizures and development of epilepsy. Oxidative stress can activate pro-inflammatory mediators, which in turn affect the release of inflammatory cytokines such as IL-1β. Administration of natural antioxidative compounds (such as plant materials) is one of the treatment goals to reduce the oxidative activities. Curcumin and hesperidin are the major components derived from turmeric rhizome and citrus fruits, respectively. It has been reported that these compounds have antioxidant activity and reduce the production of ROS. The aim of this study was to evaluate oxidative stress following repeated febrile seizure in the offspring of rats that received curcumin and hesperidin in their pregnancy period. Material and methods:Curcumin (60 mg/kg) and hesperidin (100 mg/kg) emulsified in 1% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) was used for treatment groups. Also, 1% CMC was administered to the vehicle group. Pregnant rats were received the materials via gavage. Male offspring of rats were divided to seizure and normothermia groups. Hyperthermia febrile seizure was induced at postnatal days 9-11, and six-hour after the last hyperthermia induction, rat pups were decapitated and their hippocampi were collected and stored at -80°C until later use. Malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration, as a biomarker of lipid peroxidation, was measured based on the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) reaction method. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey s post hoc test. Results: Statistical analysis of MDA content showed significant differences between seizure groups and vehicle group (vehicle+ seizure vs. vehicle: P< 0.001, curcumin+ seizure vs. vehicle: P< 0.05, hesperidin+ seizure vs. vehicle: P< 0.001). Also, the curcumin+ seizure group showed a significant difference with the vehicle+ seizure group (P< 0.05). Conclusion: Repeated febrile seizure in rat pups increased the levels of reactive oxygen species. During inflammatory processes, elevation in a series of oxidative compounds such as ROS is considered as contributing factors in neurological diseases. Agents causing oxidative stress, together with inflammatory cytokines potentiate each other and make a vicious cycle, leading to further damages. It has been reported that curcumin exhibits radical scavenging activity and reduces oxidative stress. Moreover, there are some documents demonstrating the antioxidant activity of hesperidin. Our results showed that curcumin attenuated lipid peroxidation in rat pups hippocampus following repeated febrile seizure induction, but hesperidin did not have any effect on reducing lipid peroxidation.

Febrile seizure, Curcumin, Hesperidin, Oxidative stress, Epilepsy