EXAMINATİON OF NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF LEVETİRACETAM IN THE MODEL WITH EXPERİMENTAL BRAIN AND CERVİCAL SPINAL CORD TRAUMA

İsmail Kaya*, Hasan Emre Aydın*, İlker Deniz Cingöz**, Suna Saygılı***, Mustafa Çetiner****, Nurullah Yüceer*****

*Kütahya Health Sciences University, Medical Faculty, Department of  Neurosurgery, Kutahya/Turkey - **Alsancak State Hospital, Department of Neurosurgery, Izmir/Turkey - ***Kütahya Health Sciences University, Medical Faculty, Department of Histology, Kutahya/Turkey - ****Kütahya Health Sciences University, Medical Faculty, Department of Neurology, KutahyaTurkey - *****Katip Celebi University, Medical Faculty, Department of Neurosurgery Izmir/Turkey

Introduction: The objective of our study is to compare the neuroprotective efficiency of Levetiracetam which is a new generation antiepileptic agent with Methyl prednisolone which is the single agent known to be used and be efficient in spinal cord damage today.

Material and methods: Animals included in the study were separated into four groups. Group 1 rats formed the control group (n=6) and only total laminectomy was made. Group 2 rats formed the trauma group (n=6) and additionally spinal cord damage was made but no treatment was given. 30 mg/kg methylprednisolone was intraperitoneally (IP) given to the rats in Group 3 after spinal cord damage (n=6). I.P. 50 mg/kg Levetiracetam was given to the rats in Group 4 after spinal cord damage (n=6). Trauma was formed by clipping spinal cord with Yaşargil aneurysm clip (Aesculap FE 721 K). In all groups, all rats were killed by giving high dose intraperitoneal anaesthetic at the end of the 24th hour after the surgical operation. Spinal cord tissue samples taken were evaluated histologically after hematoxylin& eosin, Tunel and GFAP(glial fibrillary acidic protein) staining and evaluated histologically.

Findings: When the results of the histological evaluations were compared, GFAP expansion and TUNEL positive cells were statistically significantly higher in trauma group (p<0.001). In GFAP expansion and apoptotic cell levels following methylprednisolone and Levetiracetam treatment, a significant degree of decrease was detected compared to the trauma group (p<0.001). It was observed that the recovery in the groups which were applied Levetiracetam and Methylprednisolone was significantly efficient compared to the trauma group. A similar recovery was detected when Methylprednisolone and Levetiracetam groups were compared. 

Result: In spinal cord trauma formed rats, it was detected that Levetiracetam application increased histopathological recovery. We think that Levetiracetam which is a new generation antiepileptic medicine can be used as treatment option for neuroprotection but this must be supported by more studies.