Banxia Baizhu Tianmatang Regulates NLRP3 Inflammasomes to Ameliorate Cognitive Impairment in Epilepsy
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20251742
- VernacularTitle:半夏白术天麻汤调控NLRP3炎症小体改善癫痫认知障碍的作用机制
- Author:
Xingdan ZHU
1
;
Yinhua KAI
1
;
Rong TIAN
1
;
Xin YANG
1
;
Jiayi HE
1
;
Xiangxin GUO
1
;
Yadong MU
1
;
Cui JIANG
1
Author Information
1. School of Basic Medical Sciences， Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine， Chengdu 611137，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
epilepsy;
cognitive impairment;
NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasome;
neuroinflammation;
Banxia Baizhu Tianmatang;
tranquilizing wind and resolving phlegm
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(14):308-316
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
ObjectiveTo explore the mechanism through which Banxia Baizhu Tianmatang ameliorates cognitive impairment in epileptic rats induced by lithium chloride-pilocarpine by regulating the neuroinflammatory reaction mediated by NOD-like receptor protein 3 （NLRP3） inflammasomes. MethodsSixty male SD rats were randomly allocated into blank， model， carbamazepine （0.125 g·kg-1·d-1）， Banxia Baizhu Tianmatang （1.04 g·kg-1·d-1）， and carbamazepine （0.125 g·kg-1·d-1） + Banxia Baizhu Tianmatang （1.04 g·kg-1·d-1） groups （n=12）. After the modeling of epilepsy， rats were administrated with corresponding agents by gavage for 12 weeks. At the 6th and 12th week of the intervention， the rats’ hyper-excited behavior was evaluated by the stylus experiment， and at the 12th week of intervention， the cognitive function was evaluated by Barnes maze. At the same time， the seizure frequency and severity grade （Racine score） were recorded. The serum and hippocampus tissue samples were collected after anesthesia for the following tests. Nissl staining was used to evaluate the degree of neuronal damage in the hippocampal CA1 area. The content of malondialdehyde （MDA） in the hippocampus was determined by the thiobarbituric acid （TBA） method. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， interleukin-1β （IL-1β）， and interleukin-18 （IL-18） were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. Immunohistochemical method was adopted to detect the expression of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a card （ASC） in the hippocampus. Western blot was employed to quantitatively analyze the protein levels of NLRP3， cysteinyl aspartate-specific proteinase-1 （Caspase-1）， and brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） in the hippocampus. ResultsThe model group showed increased stylus scores at the 6th and 12th week after modeling， a decreased Barnes maze strategy score at the 12th week， a prolonged incubation period （P<0.05）， elevated serum levels of inflammatory factors （P<0.05）， decreased neurons with scattered arrangement and large gaps in the hippocampus， increased content of MDA in the hippocampus （P<0.05）， an increased positive expression of ASC， and up-regulated protein levels of Caspase-1， NLRP3， and BDNF （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the intervention with Banxia Baizhu Tianmatang for 12 weeks was accompanied by a decreased stylus score， epileptic seizures with a decreased score， a decreased number， and shortened duration， an increased Barnes maze strategy score， shortened escape latency （P<0.01）， declined serum levels of inflammatory factors （P<0.05）， regular morphology of hippocampal neurons， reduced MDA content in the hippocampus （P<0.05）， a decreased positive expression of ASC， and down-regulated protein levels of Caspase-1， NLRP3， and BDNF （P<0.05， P<0.01）. In addition， compared with the carbamazepine group， Banxia Baizhu Tianmatang + carbamazepine showed improved performance in controlling the seizure， improved the cognitive behavior score and morphology of hippocampal neurons， alleviated the oxidative stress products， lowered the levels of inflammatory factors， reduced the positive expression of ASC in the hippocampus， and down-regulated the expression of Caspase-1， NLRP3 and BDNF， with no significant differences. ConclusionBanxia Baizhu Tianmatang may reduce neuroinflammation， control epileptic seizures， and ameliorate cognitive impairment by inhibiting the expression of NLRP3 inflammasomes.
