Amirhossein Hessami
Majid Yavari - Medical student, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Ramsar Campus, Sari, Iran
Ali Siahposht-Khachaki - Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Davood Farzin - Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran

Background and Aim : LEV is used for adjuvant therapy in patients with partial seizures and exerts its effects mainly through inhibition of synaptic protein 2A and by inhibiting the flow of inhibitory allosteric mediators such as zinc, GABA and glycine, it reduces calcium release from axonal reserves. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the effects of neuroprotective LEV after induction of brain inflammation in rats.Methods : The male Albino Wistar rats received different doses of Levetiracetam (50, 100, 200 mg/kg, i.p.).All animals were intubated before surgery. In the TBI groups, diffuse TBI was induced by Marmarou method using a TBI induction device. The severe TBI was induced using a weight 450 gr.In the sham groups, all stages of induction of TBI were performed except dropping weight on the head. The disruption of Blood brain- barrier (BBB) was evaluated 6 h post- TBI. The neurologic score( VCS ) and brain water content, the beam-walk –balance task (WB) were determined before trauma, on trauma time(D0), and 1 day(D1) and 2 Day (D2) and 3 Day (D3) After TBI anaesthetized animals were sacrificed and the brain was removed and then analaysis MMP-9 with ELISA assay.Results : Our results showed that traumatic brain injury led to significant brain edema and disrupt of blood brain- barrier and neurological defect and vestibulomotor dysfunction in the rat brain and increase MMP-9 in brain tissue. Levetiracetam (50,100mg/ kg) could attenuated brain edema, improved BBB and vestibulomotor dysfunction in compare with TBI control group (P<0.001) but in 100 dose results were better.Conclusion : Based on these results, we believe that first: LEV has neuroprotective effects secondary; one mechanism of levetiracetam’s neuroprotective effects is due to decrease in matrix metalloproteinase-9 enzyme levels in brain tissue.

LEV; TBI; Neuroprotective; MMP-9, Rat