PUBLICATION

Identification of GSK-3 as a potential therapeutic entry point for epilepsy

Authors
Aourz, N., Serruys, A.K., Chabwine, J., Balegamire, P.B., Afrikanova, T., Edrada-Ebel, R., Gray, A.I., Kamuhabwa, A.R., Walrave, L., Esguerra, C.V., van Leuven, F., de Witte, P.A.M., Smolders, I., Crawford, A.D.
ID
ZDB-PUB-181024-10
Date
2018
Source
ACS Chemical Neuroscience   10(4): 1992-2003 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Crawford, Alexander, Esguerra, Camila V.
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Anticonvulsants/pharmacology
  • Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use*
  • Epilepsy/drug therapy*
  • Epilepsy/enzymology*
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3/antagonists & inhibitors*
  • Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3/metabolism*
  • Indoles/pharmacology
  • Indoles/therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors/pharmacology
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors/therapeutic use*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Zebrafish
PubMed
30351911 Full text @ ACS Chem. Neurosci.
Abstract
In view of the clinical need for new antiseizure drugs (ASDs) with novel modes of action, we used a zebrafish seizure model to screen the anticonvulsant activity of medicinal plantsused by traditional healers in the Congo for the treatment of epilepsy, and identified a crude plant extract that inhibited pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced seizures in zebrafish larvae. Zebrafish bioassay-guided fractionation of this anticonvulsant Fabaceae species, Indigoferaarrecta, identified indirubin, a compound with known inhibitory activity ofglycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK-3), as the bioactive component.Indirubin, as well asthe more potent and selective GSK-3 inhibitor 6-bromoindirubin-3'-oxime (BIO-acetoxime) were tested in zebrafish and rodent seizure assays. Both compounds revealed anticonvulsant activity in PTZ-treated zebrafish larvae, with electroencephalographic recordings revealing reduction of epileptiform discharges. Both indirubin and BIO-acetoximealso showed anticonvulsant activity in the pilocarpine rat model for limbic seizures and in the 6-Hz refractory seizure mouse model. Most interestingly, BIO-acetoxime also exhibited anticonvulsant actions in 6-Hzfully kindled mice. Our findings thus provide the first evidence for anticonvulsant activity of GSK-3inhibition,thereby implicating GSK-3 as a potential therapeutic entry point for epilepsy.Our results also support the use of zebrafish bioassay-guided fractionation of anti-epileptic medicinal plant extracts as an effective strategy for the discovery of new ASDs with novel mechanisms of action.
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