Date of Award
11-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MPhil in Biological and Biomedical Sciences
First Advisor
Dr. Fazal Arain
Second Advisor
Dr. Hassan Salman
Third Advisor
Dr. Saara Ahmad
Department
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Abstract
Epilepsy, a neurological illness characterized by repeated unprovoked seizures, often remains drug-resistant despite current therapies. Temporal lobe epilepsy hippocampal sclerosis (TLE-HS) is a major type of drug-resistant focal epilepsy, that is characterized by neuronal loss, gliosis, and disruption of glutamatergic signaling. The present study evaluated the effects of Moringa oleifera in a lithium-pilocarpine rat model of chronic TLE-HS for neuroprotection. Adult Sprague Dawley rats n=24, divided into a group of four: normal control, disease or epileptic control, Moringa oleifera -treated, and valproic acid treated. Eight weeks after induction of TLE-HS, hippocampal tissue was examined for neuronal survival in CA1, CA2, CA3 and dentate gyrus regions using Nissl staining, and for mRNA expression of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1-mGluR8, excluding mGluR6) using qPCR. Histological analysis revealed significantly higher neuronal survival (p value < 0.05) in CA1, CA2, and dentate gyrus of rats treated with Moringa Oleifera compared with disease controls, suggesting region-specific neuroprotection. Although no significant group differences in mGluR expression were observed, ΔCt trends indicated increased expression of inhibitory mGluRs (mGluR2, mGluR7, mGluR8) and mild downregulation of excitatory mGluR1 and mGluR5 in both Moringa oleifera and valproic acid groups. These patterns may reflect neuronal preservation without pathological receptor overactivation. Overall, findings suggest that Moringa oleifera confers hippocampal neuroprotection in chronic TLE-HS, possibly through antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, or post-transcriptional pathways rather than major transcriptional shifts in mGluRs. This study we looked into the effect of Moringa oleifera as a promising adjunctive and disease modifying therapeutic option for drug-resistant in epileps.
First Page
1
Last Page
103
Recommended Citation
Sharif, S.
(2025). Changes in glutamate receptor gene expression following long-term treatment with moringa oleifera in a rodent model of temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis. , 1-103.
Available at:
https://ecommons.aku.edu/etd_pk_mc_mphil-bbs/45