Serum endocan and preoperative systemic inflammatory markers in patients with epilepsy

Objective. - The mechanisms underlying epileptogenesis are still a focus of experimental and clinical research. Inflammation and angiogenesis are the two main topics that have been an area of interest recently. The present study assessed serum levels of endocan, an inflammatory and angiogenesis-promoting molecule, and of preoperative inflammatory markers (neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and plateletlymphocyte ratio (PLR)) in adult patients undergoing epilepsy surgery. Methods. - Twenty-one patients with epilepsy and 21 healthy controls were included. From patients, serum was collected twice: before and within a week after surgery. From controls, serum was collected once. Serum endocan was studied by ELISA and preoperative NLR and PLR were obtained from preoperative hemogram parameters. Results. - Preoperative serum endocan levels in patients were significantly higher than in controls. There was no difference between patients and controls regarding preoperative NLR and PLR. After surgery, serum endocan levels decreased in patients, with no further difference compared to controls. Serum endocan levels, NLR and PLR correlated positively, but not significantly, with epilepsy duration and seizure frequency. Conclusions. - Angiogenesis and low-grade inflammation may play a role in the development and progression of epilepsy. We suggest that larger cohort of epilepsy patients with longer-term follow-up should be studied. (C) 2019 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.