Neurobehavioral effects of gamma-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester on the rats treated with kainic acid

Purpose: This study aims to determine the effect of gamma-glutamylcysteine ethyl ester (GCEE) on the levels of glutathione (GSH) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA levels in hippocampal and cortical tissues, and changes in seizure severity, anxiety and learning performance against kainic acid (KA)-induced rat model of status epilepticus.Materials and Methods: Male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups: control (saline), KA only (10mg/kg), GCEE only (10 mg/kg), and KA (10mg/kg) + GCEE (10mg/kg). Saline, KA and GCEE were administered to the rats intraperitoneally (i.p.). Seizure behaviors were assessed according to the Racine Scale. Learning and memory were evaluated with the Morris Water Maze (MWM), and anxiety with the Open Field (OFT) and Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) tests. The levels of GSH and BDNF mRNA in hippocampus and cortex were determined spectrophotometrically, and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) followed real-time polymerase chain reaction (Real-time PCR), respectively. Results: While GCEE treatments significantly reduced the severity of seizures and improved MWM retrieval performance deficiencies during the probing trial, KA treatment did not significantly change anxious behavior. Conversely, GCEE treatment against KA markedly raised GSH levels in the brain. Conclusion: These results may reflect GCEE's potential to improve cognitive function by reducing seizure severity, along with its ability to increase GSH levels in the cerebral cortex against KA-induced status epilepticus.