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Objectives:

Quercetin is a flavonoid and an important dietary constituent of fruits and vegetables. In recent years, several pharmacological activities of quercetin, such as its neuroprotective activity and, more specifically, its anti-convulsant effects in animal models of epilepsy, have been reported. This study evaluated the role of quercetin pretreatment on gene expression of γ-amino butyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor beta subunits in kainic acid (KA)-induced seizures in mice.

Methods:

The animals were divided into four groups: one saline group, one group in which seizures were induced by using KA (10 mg/kg) without quercetin pretreatment and two groups pretreated with quercetin (50 and 100 mg/kg) prior to seizures being induced by using KA. Next, the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels of the GABAA receptor β subunits in the hippocampus of each animal were assessed at 2 hours and 7 days after KA administration. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was used to detect mRNA content in hippocampal tissues.

Results:

Pretreatments with quercetin at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg prevented significant increases in the mRNA levels of the β₁ and the β₃ subunits of the GABAA receptor at 2 hours after KA injection. Pretreatment with quercetin (100 mg/kg) significantly inhibited β₁ and β₃ gene expression in the hippocampus at 7 days after KA injection. But, this inhibitory effect of quercetin at 50 mg/kg on the mRNA levels of the β₃ subunit of the GABAA receptor was not observed at 7 days after KA administration.

Conclusion:

These results suggest that quercetin (100 mg/kg) modulates the expression of the GABAA receptor β₁ and β₃ subunits in the KA model of epilepsy, most likely to prevent compensatory responses. This may be related to the narrow therapeutic dose range for the anticonvulsant activities of quercetin.