Cinnamon Attenuates Cognitive Dysfunction, Hippocampal Oxidative Stress and Neurodegeneration Following Status Epilepticus in Young Male Rats

The present study explores the neuroprotective effects of the natural food product Cinnamomum cassia or Cinnamon (CIN) on lithium pilocarpine (Li-Pc) induced SE in experimental rats to look into a possibility of it being used as antiepileptic drug. Recent studies have shown significant potential of pharmacological, prophylactic or therapeutic use of CIN in many beneficial activities in the body. The animals received CIN pre-treatment before induction of SE. Besides the severity of the seizures, other parameters like cognitive behavioral dysfunction, hippocampal oxidative stress and histological abnormalities in the hippocampus of animals induced with SE by lithium (Li) in 3 mEq/ml/kg dose, i.p. followed 20 h later by pilocarpine (Pc) in 20 mg/ml/kg dose, s.c. CIN was administered intraperitoneally at the doses of 25 and 50 mg/mL/kg, 30 minutes before Pc injection. Mortality (if any) within 24 hours was also recorded. Ethical approval was obtained from the Ethics Committee Review Board of the College of Pharmacy of King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Treatment with CIN significantly ameliorated the frequency and severity of epileptic seizures in a dose-dependent manner. The cognitive dysfunctions were improved, hippocampal oxidative stress was ameliorated and neuronal cell loss in the hippocampus were also attenuated significantly and dose-dependently by CIN. Possible therapeutic application of CIN as an antiepileptic and as an antioxidant for the treatment of SE has a great potential and warrants further studies.