Anti-Inflammation Associated Protective Mechanism of Berberine and its Derivatives on Attenuating Pentylenetetrazole-Induced Seizures in Zebrafish

Epileptic seizures are characterized by synchronized discharges of neurons, leading to the activation of inflammatory responses that in turn contributes to seizure progression. Berberine (BBR), a bioactive constituent extracted from berberis, has been known to relieve seizures in rodent models. In this study, we synthesized two derivatives of berberine (BBR-D1 and BBR-D2) to compare their seizure reducing effect with BBR in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in zebrafish. We found a structure-activity relationship between hydrophilic/hydrophobic composition of the derivatives and their anticonvulsant activity. We also investigated the underlying mechanism related to their anti-inflammatory effect during seizures. BBR and its derivatives increased the seizure onset latency and suppressed the seizure-like behavior after PTZ treatment. Zebrafish larvae pretreated with BBR and its derivatives showed recovery on c-fos expression and neuronal discharges during seizures. The inflammatory responses occurred during the progression of seizures, including the recruitment of macrophages and neutrophils as well as an up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin 1 beta (il1β), and interleukin 6 (il6). This effect was significantly suppressed by the pretreatment of BBR and its derivatives. Our results suggest that BBR and its derivatives attenuate PTZ-induced seizures and modulate anti-inflammatory effect to potentially protect zebrafish from the occurrence of further seizures. From the tested compounds, BBR-D1 (the hydrophilic berberrubine) showed the strongest seizure reducing effect. Graphical Abstract Two derivatives of berberine (BBR-D1 and BBR-D2) were synthesized to compare their seizure reducing effect with BBR in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in zebrafish. BBR and its derivatives increased the seizure onset latency and suppressed the seizure-like behavior after PTZ treatment. Zebrafish larvae pretreated with BBR and its derivatives showed recovery on c-fos expression and neuronal discharges during seizures. The inflammatory responses occurred during the progression of seizures, including the recruitment of macrophages and neutrophils as well as an up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα), interleukin 1 beta (il1β), and interleukin 6 (il6). This effect was significantly suppressed by the pretreatment of BBR and its derivatives.