Blood polyamines after status epilepticus elicited by kainic acid in the rat

Abstract

In a previous work we described that after the systemic administration of kainic acid to the rat there was a decrease in the concentrations of spermidine and spermine in the brain in the acute convulsant phase, whereas the concentration of putrescine was not modified. However, the concentration of putrescine increased dramatically in the post-convulsant period, associated to histological damage. The aim of the present work, was to evaluate the sensitivity of the blood polyamine pool to the convulsions induced by kainic acid. The concentration of polyamines was determined by HPLC analysis. Two hours after the injection of the neurotoxin (acute convulsant phase), there was an increase in the concentration of putrescine, spermidine and spermine in plasma and serum (about 100% over controls) of rats displaying convulsions; this increase was still maintained 24 h after kainic acid administration. Putrescine was also increased in red blood cells but only in the acute convulsant phase. In the present work we found changes in brain polyamines similar to those described previously. The time course and concentrations reached by putrescine in both pools do not support a common regulatory mechanism. These results indicate that the increase of putrescine in the blood precedes the increase of this polyamine in the brain. The data reported stimulate the study of polyamines as biochemical markers in models of epilepsy.