Effects of E-64d on Expression of Beclin-1 Protein in Cerebral Cortex of Developmental Seizures Rats

Objective To explore the dynamic expression of autophagy-associated protein Beclin-1 in cerebral cortex in developmental period rats with recurrent seizure(RS) and the intervention effect of E-64d on Beclin-1 expression.Methods Twenty-one-day-old (P21) SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups (24 cases per group).Rats in RS group were injected i.p.with penicillin(4.8×106 U·kg-1·d-1)every other day in eleven consecutive days starting from postnatal day 21st to induce seizure;Rats in the control group were injected with equal amount of normal sodium at the same time;In E-64d group,4 μL E-64d was injected each day before seizure was induced.Western blot analysis was used to determine Beclin-1 levels in cerebral cortex at different time points (3 h,12 h,24 h and P51) after the last convulsion.SPSS 16.0 software was used to analyze the data.Results Beclin-1 levels in RS group at 3 h,12 h,24 h were significantly higher than those at the corresponding time points in the control group(Pa0.05).The protein levels in E-64d group at the time points of 3 h,12 h,24 h were decreased significantly compared with those in RS group(Pa0.05).There were no significant differences among 3 groups at P51(Pa0.05).Conclusions Autophagy/lysosomal pathway are activated immediately after RS as indicated by the elevated expression of Beclin-1 in cerebral cortex.E-64d is involved in the regulation of autophagy/lysosomal pathway.