Research on molecular mechanism underlying antiepileptic activity of the alcohol extract of Arisaema heterophyllum Blume based on molecular docking and zebrafish model study
GAO Li
ZHENG Yuan-teng
WANG Hai-tao
JIN Meng
Abstract：Objective:To investigate the anti-epileptic activity and underlying mechanism of action of the alcohol extract of traditional Chinese medicine,Arisaema heterophyllum Blume(BLU),based on a zebrafish model of epilepsy.Methods:The working concentration of BLU was determined through concentration tolerance experiments.Zebrafish were pretreated with BLU for 24 hours and then subjected to pentylenetetrazole(PTZ)-induced epilepsy.Seizure latency,seizure-like behaviors,and electroencephalogram(EEG)abnormalities were analyzed.The expression of epilepsy-related and inflammation-regulating genes was assessed using real-time quantitative PCR(RT-qPCR).Potential targets were identified through transcriptomics and validated by RT-qPCR.The flavonoid components of BLU were further analyzed,and molecular docking methods were employed to investigate the interactions between BLU components and target proteins.Results:Zebrafish in the PTZ model group exhibited seizure-like symptoms,with overexpression of the epilepsy marker gene c-fos and abnormal EEG signals.Compared to the PTZ group,the BLU treatment group showed significantly prolonged seizure latency,reduced seizure-like behaviors,and suppressed abnormal brain activity.Mechanistic studies indicated that BLU exerted anticonvulsant effects by modulating the expression of neuroinflammatory genes.Molecular docking results revealed that the main flavonoid components of BLU could bind to inflammation-related proteins Anxa1c,Il1b,and Ptger1a.Conclusion:BLU exerts anti-epileptic activity by regulating neuroinflammation,with inflammatory proteins Anxa1c,Il1b,Ptger1a as potential targets.These findings offer new directions for epilepsy treatment.
Keywords：epilepsypentylenetetrazoleArisaema heterophyllum Blumeelectrophysiologyneuroinflam-mation
Publication Date：2025-06-30
Online Publishing Date：2026-08-14(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：11( 1302-1312 )