Ameliorating effect of quercetin on epilepsy by inhibition of inflammation in glial cells

Epilepsy is a prevalent neurological disorder and it is a significant health risk, affecting >50 million people worldwide. The development of novel and appropriate strategies is required for ameliorating the progression and/or limiting the detrimental consequences of epilepsy. In the current study, kainic acid (KA), a neurotoxin, was used to induce seizures in mice. The flavonoid quercetin has recently been reported to have neuroprotective effects. Therefore, the effects of quercetin on KA-induced epilepsy and the potential underlying molecular mechanisms were examined. It was noted that quercetin attenuated the KA-induced seizure score and proinflammatory cytokine production, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), and activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappa B) in mice. Quercetin attenuated KA-induced proinflammatory cytokine (TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta) release from microglia cells, as well as activation of NF-kappa B and ionized calcium binding adapter molecule 1 in microglia cells. Therefore, quercetin inhibited KA-induced epilepsy by microglia cell inactivation and the production of NF-kappa B, TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta.