Reihane Hashemi - Medical Student, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
Reza Sedaghat - Department of Pathology, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran
Mehrdad Roghani - Department of Neurophysiology, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran

Introduction: Temporal lobe epilepsy accompanies neuronal degeneration in some areas of hippocampus and mossy fiber sprouting in dentate gyrus. This study was conducted to assess the preventive effect of Rosa damascene (RD) with anti oxidant potential on structural changes in hippocampus of kainic acid -epileptic rats. Materials and Methods: In this study, 28 rats were divided into sham, RD-treated sham, epileptic, and RD -treated epileptic groups. Rat model of epilepsy was induced by unilateral intrahippocampal administration of 0.8 μg kainic acid per rat. Rats received RD (500mg/kg, i.p.) daily for 1 week before surgery. Five weeks after surgery, hippocampal sections were stained with Nissl and Timm methods. Results: Induction of epilepsy by kainic acid was followed by a significant seizure intensity & RD pretreatment attenuate seizure intensity significantly (p<0.05). In addition, density of Nissl-stained neurons in CA3 area of hippocampus was significantly lower in kainic acid group versus sham (P<0.05) and RD pretreatment significantly increased it in CA3 area versus kainic acid group. Regarding mossy fiber sprouting, epileptic rats showed a higher degree of sprouting as compared to sham group and RD pretreatment significantly lowered it (p<0.05). Conclusion: RD pretreatment could preserve neurons in CA3 area of hippocampus, and could lower mossy fiber sprouting in dentate gyrus in kainic acid -induced epileptic animals.

Rosa damascene, Epilepsy, Seizure, Mossy fiber sprouting, Hippocampus