Modulating Expression of Endogenous Interleukin 1 Beta in the Acute Phase of the Pilocarpine Model of Epilepsy May Change Animal Survival

The pilocarpine-induced (PILO) model has helped elucidate the electrophysiological and molecular aspects related to mesial temporal lobe epilepsy. It has been suggested that the extensive cell death and edema observed in the brains of these animals could be induced by increased inflammatory responses, such as the rapid release of the inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1 beta (Il1b). In this study, we investigate the role of endogenous Il1b in the acute phase of the PILO model. Our aim is twofold. First, we want to determine whether it is feasible to silence Il1b in the central nervous system using a non-invasive procedure. Second, we aim to investigate the effect of silencing endogenous Il1b and its antagonist, Il1rn.We used RNA interference applied non-invasively to knockdown Il1b and its endogenous antagonist Il1rn. We found that knocking down Il1b prior to pilocarpine injection increased the mortality rate of treated animals. Furthermore, we observed that, when exposing the animals to more Il1b by silencing its endogenous antagonist Il1rn , there was a better response to status epilepticus with decreased animal mortality in the acute phase of the PILO model. Thus, we show the feasibility of using a novel, less invasive approach to study genes involved in the inflammatory response in the central nervous system. Furthermore, our results provide suggestive evidence that modulating endogenous Il1b improves animal survival in the acute phase of the PILO model and may have effects that extend into the chronic phase.