A novel anticonvulsant mechanism via inhibition of complement receptor C5ar1 in murine epilepsy model

Benson MJ, Thomas NK, Talwar S, Hodson MP, Lynch JW, Woodruff TM, Borges K

Contributed by Sloka Iyengar

Studying inflammation could give us insights into novel drugs for seizure disorders. In this study, the researchers examined a certain pro-inflammatory complement peptide C5a and its receptor C5ar1 in experimental epilepsy. C5ar1 was found to be increased in experimental models of epilepsy; blockade of C5ar1 with an antagonist had anticonvulsant effects. Inhibition of C5ar1 decreased seizure-induced mortality and neurodegeneration. The anticonvulsant effects of C5ar1 inhibition were explained by a decrease in activation of the inflammatory mediator TNFα.

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