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Arooj Mohsin Alvi,1,2 Fawad Ali Shah,2 Asmaa Jan Muhammad,2 Jinxing Feng,1 Shupeng Li3 1Department of Neonatology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital Shenzhen, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmacology, Riphah Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan; 3State Key Laboratory of Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Shenzhen Graduate School, Peking University, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Fawad Ali Shah; Jinxing Feng Email fawad.shah@riphah.edu.pk; szfjx2013@hotmail.comBackground: Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that is characterized by recurrent episodes of seizures. Various studies have demonstrated a direct association between oxidative stress and inflammation in several neurological disorders including epilepsy. This study aimed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of a synthetic 1,3,4, oxadiazole compound A3 against pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced kindling and seizure model.Methodology: PTZ was administered in a sub-convulsive dose of 40 mg/kg for 15 days, at 48-hour intervals to male Swiss-Albino mice until animals were fully kindled. Two different doses of A3 (10 mg/kg and 30 mg/kg) were administered to find out the effective dose of A3 and to further demonstrate the relative role of nuclear factor E2-related factor (Nrf2) in the PTZ-induced kindled model.Results: Our results demonstrated a compromised antioxidant capacity associated with a low level of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GST), and glutathione S-transferase (GSH) in the kindled group. However, the PTZ-induced group demonstrated an elevated level of lipid peroxidation (LPO) level parallel to pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), mediators as cyclooxygenase (COX-2), and nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB). Furthermore, the A3 treatment reversed these changes and overexpressed the antioxidant Nrf2 gene and its downstream HO-1. To further investigate the involvement of Nrf2, we employed an Nrf2-inhibitor, ie, all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), that further aggravated the PTZ toxicity. Moreover, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression was evaluated to assess the extent of BBB disruption.Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that A3 could mediate neuroprotection possibly by activating Nrf2 dependent downregulation of inflammatory cascades.Keywords: epilepsy, PTZ, oxidative stress, Nrf2, HO-1, neuroinflammation

Additional file 1.

Lina T Al Kury,1 Alam Zeb,2 Zain Ul Abidin,2 Nadeem Irshad,3 Imran Malik,2 Arooj Mohsin Alvi,2 Atif Ali Khan Khalil,4 Sareer Ahmad,4 Muhammad Faheem,2 Arif-Ullah Khan,2 Fawad Ali Shah,2 Shupeng Li51College of Natural and Health Sciences, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; 2Riphah Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Riphah International University, Islamabad, Pakistan; 3Department of Pharmacy, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan; 4Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar, Pakistan; 5State Key Laboratory of Oncogenomics, School of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, People’s Republic of ChinaPurpose: Melatonin and celecoxib are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents that exert protective effects in different experimental models. In this study, the neuroprotective effects of melatonin and celecoxib were demonstrated against ethanol-induced neuronal injury by in silico, morphological, and biochemical approaches.Methods: For the in silico study, 3-D structures were constructed and docking analysis performed. For in vivo studies, rats were treated with ethanol, melatonin, and celecoxib. Brain samples were collected for biochemical and morphological analysis.Results: Homology modeling was performed to build 3-D structures for IL1β), TNFα, TLR4, and inducible nitric oxide synthase. Structural refinement was achieved via molecular dynamic simulation and processed for docking and postdocking analysis. Further in vivo experiments showed that ethanol induced marked neuronal injury characterized by downregulated glutathione, glutathione S-transferase, and upregulated inducible nitric oxide synthase. Additionally, ethanol increased the expression of TNFα and IL1β. Finally, neuronal apoptosis was demonstrated in ethanol-intoxicated animals using caspase 3 and activated JNK staining. On the other hand, melatonin and celecoxib treatment ameliorated the biochemical and immunohistochemical alterations induced by ethanol.Conclusion: These results demonstrated that ethanol induced neurodegeneration by activating inflammatory and apoptotic proteins in rat brain, while melatonin and celecoxib may protect rat brain by downregulating inflammatory and apoptotic markers.Keywords: simulation, docking, cortex, hippocampus, ethanol, neurodegeneration