Curcubita pepo seed oil ameliorative effects on histological and biochemical changes in rat epileptic model

The objective of this study was to investigate whether pumpkin seed oil would reduce neuronal death and pathophysioloical and histological alterations in pilocarpine-epileptic model compared to topiramate as a common used antiepileptic drug. 60 rats were divided into 4 groups, the 1st and 2nd groups are the control groups (24hrs and 21 days). The3rd and 4th are the treatments, one treated with 20 mg/kg b. wt. topiramate and the other with 40 mg/kg b. wt. pumpkin seed oil for 21 days. Another 90 rats were injected i. p. with 300 mg /kg b. wt. pilocarpine. They were subdivided into 4 groups the 5th & 6th were the epileptic control groups (24 hrs and 21 days). The 7th and 8th, one treated with the same previous dose of topiramate and the other treated with the previously mentioned dose of pumpkin seed oil for 21 days. After 21 days of pilocarpine injection, some behavioural changes accompanied with mossy fibres sprouting and activation of progenitor cells formation with granular cell loss and apoptosis confirmed by gel electrophoresis and immunohistochemical methods in the dentate gyrus were observed. These changes were associated with Significant decreases in GABA, aspragin, histidine, norepinephrine, sertonin, serum Ca2+, Na+ and hippocampal K+ concentrations, reduced glutathione content and abated reactivity towards Bcl-2 antibody. In addition, significant increase in glutamate, aspartate, dopamine, Ca2+ and Na+ in the hippocampus, serum K+, lipid peroxidation, nitric oxide concentrations, glutathione peroxidase activity and reactivity against p53 and PCNA antibodies, were recorded. All the changes reported after 21 days of pilocarpine injection showed similar pattern after 24 hrs, except for decreased DA level, GPx activity and proliferative index and severe mossy fibres sprouting and granular cell loss. Both pumpkin seed oil and topiramate were able to ameliorate most of the physiologically-altered parameters in epileptic rats and also proved high efficacy towards decreasing the neuronal cell death via interrupting the apoptotic mechanism which was confirmed by DNA fragmentation indicated by gel electrophoresis and immunohistochemical methods. Pumpkin seed oil elicited more pronounced effects. Therefore, it is concluded that natural antioxidants like pumpkin seed oil, could act as promising antiepeleptic drugs of high efficacy in retarding neuronal cell death and pathophysiological and histological complications related to epilepsy.