Triptolide Inhibits Neuronal Apoptosis in a Rat Model of Pentylenetetrazol-Induced-Epilepsy via Upregulation of miR-187 Expression

Epilepsy is one of the most common diseases of the nervous system. Neuronal apoptosis is closely involved in the development and progression of epilepsy. Triptolide is a widely used immunosuppressive agent in traditional Chinese medicine. However, a neuroprotective role of triptolide in epilepsy has been suggested but not fully explored. To this end, using pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures in rats as a model for epilepsy, we explored the effect of triptolide on seizure and its associated mechanisms. The results showed that triptolide significantly decreased the seizure severity and inhibited the apoptosis of neurons, accompanied by an improvement in the expression of miR-187 in the hippocampus region in pentylenetetrazol-treated rats. The up-regulation of miR-187 expression could inhibit neuronal apoptosis in the hippocampus. Finally, the results showed that miR-187 antagomir significantly reversed the protective effects of triptolide in pentylenetetrazol-treated rats. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating that triptolide inhibits neuronal apoptosis, at least partially, through up-regulating miR-187.