Host: The Japanese Pharmacological Society
Name : The 96th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Pharmacological Society
Number : 96
Location : [in Japanese]
Date : November 30, 2022 - December 03, 2022
This presentation focuses on the strategies to prevent West syndrome (WS), an epileptic encephalopathy, wherein the brain is damaged not by "trauma" but by "inflammation." The most effective treatment for WS is ACTH, which has potent anti-inflammatory effects, suggesting that inflammatory responses, including cytokines, are involved. Interleukin-1β (IL-1β) is a proconvulsant, and its antagonist, Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), has potent anticonvulsant effects. Notably, serum IL-1RA increased after the improvement of WS, suggesting that IL-1RA may be involved in the antiepileptic effect of ACTH, which is yet to be clarified. Using flow cytometry analysis of patients with refractory epilepsy, we observed higher levels of intracellular IL-1β in monocytes but not in the plasma, peripheral T cells, or NK cells and also found a correlation with the frequency of convulsions. Peripheral blood cells have been found to invade the central nervous system and aid the pathogenesis of epilepsy. Thus, we focused on pericytes to prevent peripheral cells from invading the central nervous system. Pericytes might function not only as tight junctions of the blood-brain barrier but also as key regulators of brain inflammation. This presentation highlights our study results on affected children, even though our efforts are limited.
