Effect of topiramate on apoptosis-related protein expression of hippocampus in model rats with Alzheimers disease.

OBJECTIVES : Alzheimer's dis - ease is an age-related neurodegenerative dis - ease and a synaptic function defect disease, the clinical symptoms are mainly progressive cogni - tive impairment, affecting patient's social func - tion. Aim of this report was to investigate the ef - fect of topiramate on apoptosis-related protein expression (Bcl-2, Survivin, Fas, Bax and Cas - pase-3) in the hippocampus of a rat model with Alzheimers Disease (AD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group and a test group. A dose of amyloid beta-protein 1-40 (A β1-40 ) was inject - ed into the hippocampus of the rats in the model and test groups, and the control rats are injected with same amount of saline. After AD model was successfully established, the rats in each group were administrated with an i.p. injection of topi - ramate (20 mg/kg/d) for 30 days. The effect of topiramate on the apoptosis-related protein lev - els in hippocampus neurons was studied by im - munohistochemistry. RESULTS: The number of Bcl-2 and Survivin positive cells and optical density in hippocam - pus of rats in test group was more than those of rats in model groups, but less than those of rats in control group ( p < 0.01); Fas, Bax and Cas - pase-3 positive cells and optical density in hip - pocampus of rats in test group was less than those of rats in the model group, but more than those of rats in control group ( p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Alzheimer's disease can in - duce apoptosis of hippocampus neurons in rats.T opiramate can prevent apoptosis of hip - pocampus neurons, at least in part, by increas - ing expression of Bcl-2 and Survivin and de - creasing expression of Fas, Bax and Caspase-3.