AUTHOR=Nejm Mariana Bocca , Haidar André Abou , Hirata Aparecida Emiko , Oyama Lila Missae , de Almeida Antonio-Carlos Guimarães , Cysneiros Roberta Monterazzo , Cavalheiro Esper Abrão , Scorza Carla Alessandra , Scorza Fulvio Alexandre TITLE=Fish Oil Supplementation Reduces Heart Levels of Interleukin-6 in Rats with Chronic Inflammation due to Epilepsy JOURNAL=Frontiers in Neurology VOLUME=8 YEAR=2017 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neurology/articles/10.3389/fneur.2017.00263 DOI=10.3389/fneur.2017.00263 ISSN=1664-2295 ABSTRACT=

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is a major cause of premature death related to epilepsy. The causes of SUDEP remain unknown, but cardiac arrhythmias and asphyxia have been suggested as a major mechanism of this event. Inflammation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of both epilepsy and ventricular arrhythmia, with interleukin-6 (IL-6) being recognized as a crucial orchestrator of inflammatory states. Our group previously reported that levels of IL-6 were increased in the hearts of epileptic rats. In this scenario, anti-inflammatory actions are among the beneficial effects of fish oil dietary supplementation. This investigation revealed that elevated levels of IL-6 in the heart were markedly reduced in epileptic rats that were treated in the long-term with fish oil, suggesting protective anti-inflammatory actions against dangerously high levels of IL-6. Based on these findings, our results suggest beneficial effects of long-term intake of fish oil in reducing the inflammation associated with chronic epilepsy.