Research progress on effects of orexin and its receptor antagonists on epilepsy
- VernacularTitle:食欲素及其受体拮抗剂对癫痫影响的研究进展
- Author:
Chen-shuo JIA
1
;
Yuan-yuan LIU
;
Jing ZHANG
;
Ai-ping ZHENG
;
Zeng-ming WANG
;
Qiao WANG
Author Information
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords: orexin; orexin receptor antagonists; epilepsy; glu-tamate; GABA; thalamocortical circuit
- From: Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin 2025;41(10):1823-1830
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
- Abstract: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder caused by an imbalance between excitation and inhibition in the central nervous system.Recently,the role of the orexin system in the pathogenesis of epilepsy has garnered significant attention.Orex-in primarily regulates arousal states and enhances neuronal excit-ability through activation of OX1-R/OX2-R receptors.Studies have shown that elevated orexin levels lower the seizure thresh-old,while orexin receptor antagonists(ORAs)exhibit potential antiepileptic effects.ORAs suppress epileptiform discharges by reducing glutamate release,enhancing GABAergic inhibitory effects,and modulating the thalamocortical circuit.Animal ex-periments and preliminary clinical studies demonstrate that OX1R antagonists decrease excitatory synaptic transmission,whereas OX2 R antagonists primarily strengthen GABA-mediated inhibition.With the widespread application of ORAs in sleep disorders,exploring their clinical value as antiepileptic drugs will become a key focus for future research.This review summa-rizes the role of the orexin system in epileptogenesis and discus-ses the research progress and future directions of ORAs as poten-tial antiepileptic agents.
