Rapamycin: brain excitability studied in vitro

Epilepsia. 2007 Apr;48(4):834-6. doi: 10.1111/j.1528-1167.2006.00976.x. Epub 2007 Feb 5.

Abstract

Neurological complications are common in transplant recipients treated with immunosuppressant calcineurin inhibitors. Rapamycin, a macrolide antibiotic, was suggested as an alternative agent in patients who develop calcineurin inhibitor associated neurotoxicity, including seizure attacks. The aim of the present study was to test the effect of rapamycin on the bioelectrical activity and evoked field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSP) in CA1 area of hippocampal tissues and compare its effect with FK506, a calcineurin inhibitor agent. Application of rapamycin at different concentrations neither affected the bioelectrical activity nor changed fEPSP magnitude. In contrast, FK506 elicited epileptiform burst discharges and significantly enhanced fEPSP magnitude. This study supports the suggestion that rapamycin could be used as an alternative to calcineurin inhibitors in the event of neurotoxicity.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Brain / drug effects*
  • Brain / physiology
  • Calcineurin / adverse effects
  • Calcineurin / therapeutic use
  • Calcineurin Inhibitors*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Epilepsy / chemically induced*
  • Epilepsy / physiopathology
  • Evoked Potentials / drug effects
  • Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / drug effects*
  • Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / physiology
  • Graft Rejection / prevention & control
  • Hippocampus / drug effects
  • Hippocampus / physiopathology
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / adverse effects
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Immunosuppressive Agents / pharmacology*
  • In Vitro Techniques
  • Neurons / drug effects
  • Neurons / physiology
  • Neurotoxicity Syndromes / etiology
  • Neurotoxicity Syndromes / prevention & control
  • Rats
  • Seizures / chemically induced
  • Seizures / prevention & control
  • Sirolimus / pharmacology*
  • Tacrolimus / adverse effects
  • Tacrolimus / pharmacology
  • Transplantation / adverse effects
  • Transplantation / methods

Substances

  • Calcineurin Inhibitors
  • Immunosuppressive Agents
  • Calcineurin
  • Sirolimus
  • Tacrolimus