Effect of Ganoderma lucidum spore on expression of insulin-like growth factor-1, nuclear factor-kappa B, and neuronal apoptosis in the epileptic rat brain

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that Ganoderma lucidum spore powder, a very well known Chinese traditional medicine. call affect immunoregulation, free radical scavenging, and anti-hypoxia responses. OBJECTIVE.: To investigate the effect of Ganoderma lucidum spore powder oil expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) and neuronal apoptosis in rats with pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced epilepsy. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING: A cellular and molecular biology experiment with randomized controlled Study design was performed at the Central Laboratory of Basic Medical College of Jiamusi University from June to August 2005. MATERIALS: Thirty healthy. adult. male. Wistar rats were selected and randomly divided into 3 groups (10 rats per group): Control, epilepsy model, and Ganoderma lucidum spore powder. A sub-eclampsia PTZ dose (35 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected to induce epilepsy in the latter two groups. Wild Ganoderma lucidum spore powder (30 g/L) was provided by the wild Ganoderma lucidum plant nursery at Jiamusi, China. Immunohistochemical detection and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediate dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) kits were purchased from Wuhan Boster Biological Technology Co., Ltd., China. METHODS: Ganoderma lucidum spore powder was intragastrically administered at it dose of 10.0 mL/kg, once a day for 28 clays. In tire epilepsy and control groups. an equivalent volume of normal saline was intragastrically administered. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Immunoreactivity for IGF-1 and NF-kappa B/P65 were detected by immunohistochemical staining. Neuronal apoptosis was detected using TUNEL methods. RESULTS: The hippocampus and cerebral cortex of rats with PTZ-induced epilepsy exhibited a higher number of apoptotic cells at high magnification (x400), compared with the control group. Express ion of IGF-1 and NF-kappa B were higher in the epilepsy group. compared with the control group (P < 0.01). lit Ganoderma lucidum spore-treated rats. fewer apoptotic cells were observed in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. expression of NF-kappa B/P65 was lower. and immunoreactivity to IGF-1 increased more distinctly. compared with the epilepsy group. In addition, seizure latency was longer oil 17, 21, and 25 days post-PTZ treatment in the Ganoderma lucidum spore powder group. compared with the epilepsy group (P < 0.05-0.01). CONCLUSION: Ganoderma lucidum spore powder down-regulated expression of NF-kappa B in brain tissues of rats with PTZ-induced epilepsy. increased immunoreactivity to IGF-1 and inhibited neuronal apoptosis. These results indicated that Ganoderma lucidum spore powder has it neuroprotective effect.