What is it about?
doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00235 The state of therapeutic ketosis can be achieved by using the ketogenic diet (KD) or exogenous ketone supplementation. It was suggested previously that the adenosinergic system may be involved in the mediating effect of KD on suppressing seizure activity in different types of epilepsies, likely by means of adenosine A1 receptors (A1Rs). Thus, we tested in the present study whether exogenous ketone supplements (ketone ester: KE, 2.5 g/kg/day; ketone salt/KS + medium chain triglyceride/MCT: KSMCT, 2.5 g/kg/day) applied sub-chronically (for 7 days) by intragastric gavage can modulate absence epileptic activity in genetically absence epileptic Wistar Albino Glaxo/Rijswijk (WAG/Rij) rats. The number of spike-wave discharges (SWDs) significantly and similarly decreased after both KE and KSMCT treatment between 3rd and 7th days of gavage. Moreover, blood beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) levels were significantly increased alike after KE and KSMCT gavage, compared to control levels. The SWD number and βHB levels returned to the baseline levels on the first day without ketone supplementation. To determine whether A1Rs can modify ketone supplement-evoked changes in absence epileptic activity, we applied a non-pro-epileptic dose of a specific A1R antagonist DPCPX (1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine) (intraperitoneal/i.p. 0.2 mg/kg) in combination with KSMCT (2.5 g/kg/day, gavage). As expected, DPCPX abolished the KSMCT-evoked decrease in SWD number.
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Why is it important?
We concluded that application of exogenous ketone supplements may decrease absence epileptic activity in WAG/Rij rats. Moreover, our results suggest that among others the adenosinergic system, likely via A1Rs, may modulate the exogenous ketone supplements-evoked anti-seizure effects.
Perspectives
The administration of exogenous ketone supplements without dietary restrictions (standard rodent diet) may be an effective alternative way to the KD not only to reach and maintain nutritional ketosis, but also to reduce epileptic activity, and which can be reversed by inhibition of A1Rs. Our results on WAG/Rij rats and modulation of ketone supplementation-evoked effects on absence epileptic activity provided an opportunity to investigate some new aspects of the pathophysiology of absence epilepsy, several signaling pathways, which are still poorly understood, influence of ketone supplementation on epileptic activity and the correlation between antiepileptic activity of ketone supplementation and their potential to induce ketosis. Our results may contribute to the development of effective antiepileptic strategies such as ketone supplementation not only against absence epilepsy (e.g. childhood absence epilepsy), but also for other therapy-resistant types of epilepsies, which may afford long-lasting seizure protection.
Dr Zsolt Kovacs
Eötvös Loránd University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Adenosine A1 Receptor Antagonism Abolished the Anti-seizure Effects of Exogenous Ketone Supplementation in Wistar Albino Glaxo Rijswijk Rats, Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, July 2017, Frontiers,
DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00235.
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