Memory impairment is a critical issue in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Neuronal loss within the hippocampus and recurrent seizures may cause cognitive impairment in TLE. N -acetyl cysteine (NAC) is a sulfur-containing amino acid cysteine that is currently being investigated due to its protective effects on neurodegenerative disorders. NAC was orally administrated at a dose of 100 mg/kg for 8 days (7-day pretreatment and 1-day post-surgery). Neuronal viability, mTOR protein level, and spatial memory were detected in the kainite temporal epilepsy model via Nissl staining, western blot method, and Morris water maze task, respectively. Results showed that NAC delayed seizure activity and ameliorated memory deficit induced by Kainic acid. Histological analysis showed that NAC significantly increased the number of intact neurons in CA3 and hilar areas of the hippocampus following the induction of epilepsy. NAC also modulated the mTOR protein level 5 days after epilepsy compared to the KA-induced group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that NAC improved memory impairment via anticonvulsant and neuroprotective activity and, in all probability, by lowering the level of mTOR.
Keywords: MTOR; NAC; Spatial memory; Temporal lobe epilepsy.
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