The role of glutamate carriers in experimental kindling model created with pentylenetetrazole in rats

The Role of Glutamate Carriers in Experimental Kindling Model Created with Pentylenetetrazole in Rats Aim: In this study we aimed to obtain information to understand the relationship with the glutamate transporter and enzyme and the physiology of epilepsy. Our main goal in this study was to reveal the relationship between epilepsy and glutamate in terms of voltammetry technique and gene expression results and, to understand how the glutamate exitotoxicity affects this relationship. Material and Methods: In this experiment, thirty-six adult male rats of Wistar strain weighting 220±10g were used. For kindling model, we used pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) that widely used in antiepileptic drug discovery studies. Kindling model was set and after Seftriaxone and Valproic acid treatments the electrocorticography (EKoG) records were obtained. Glutamate reuptake times were measured with voltammetry technique. The RT-PCR expressions of glutamate transporters and enzymes were considered. One-way ANOVA and Tukey tests were run for the statistical analyzes with the SPSS Statistics 17.0 version. Results: In the EKoG measurements we have done, the spike values belong to groups were measured respectively; PTZ: 733±59; PTZ+VPA: 231±23, PTZ+Sef: 359±30. When we measured the T80 times of the control group, PTZ+Sef ve PTZ+VPA groups with voltammetry measurements of the cerebral cortex M1 region. we observed that the reuptake times were similar to each others. While the reuptake times of healthy group were 2.61 second the kindling group was 18.8 second. In the RT-PCR evaluation the expression ratios the EAAC1, GLT-1 and GLAST, glutamate transporters, glutaminase and glutamine sentetase were increased in the kindling groups. Conclusion: The glutamate levels were excessively increased as a result of all analyzes. The most significant results were observed in the primary motor cortex. The expression ratio of the expressed glutaminase enzyme was 9 times more than in healthy rats. To bring the increased glutamate levels to its normal levels or mechanisms which can eliminate the problem is holding an important place in the treatment of epilepsy. Key Words: Amperometry, Epilepsy, Glutamate, Glutamate Transporters, RT-PCR, Voltammetry