Epilepsy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Epilepsy, including details on symptoms, causes, treatment, drugs, information.

Beneficial effects of FK506 for experimental temporal lobe epilepsy.

Nishimura T, Imai H, Minabe Y, Sawa A, Kato N

Department of Pediatrics, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan.

FK506, originally classified as an immunosuppressant, may also be implicated in some events in the central nervous system. FK506 elicits both neuroprotective and neurotrophic effects in vitro. FK506 is neuroprotective for focal cerebral ischemia, but it is not clear whether FK506 has neuroprotective effects for other brain diseases. In this study, we investigated possible neuroprotective effects of FK506 in experimental temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) induced by kainic acid (KA) or trimethyltin (TMT). In rat models, we observed marked protection against seizures, abnormal behaviors, and accompanying delayed neuronal damage in the hippocampus by the systemic injection of FK506.

Published 20 November 2006 in Neurosci Res, 56(4): 386-90.
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