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Review
. 2021 Mar 4:12:604040.
doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.604040. eCollection 2021.

Natural Medicines for the Treatment of Epilepsy: Bioactive Components, Pharmacology and Mechanism

Li-Ying He  1 , Mei-Bian Hu  2 , Ruo-Lan Li  1 , Rong Zhao  1 , Lin-Hong Fan  1 , Lin He  1 , Feng Lu  1 , Xun Ye  1 , Yong-Liang Huang  3 , Chun-Jie Wu  1
Affiliations
Review

Natural Medicines for the Treatment of Epilepsy: Bioactive Components, Pharmacology and Mechanism

Li-Ying He et al. Front Pharmacol. .

Abstract

Epilepsy is a chronic disease that can cause temporary brain dysfunction as a result of sudden abnormal discharge of the brain neurons. The seizure mechanism of epilepsy is closely related to the neurotransmitter imbalance, synaptic recombination, and glial cell proliferation. In addition, epileptic seizures can lead to mitochondrial damage, oxidative stress, and the disorder of sugar degradation. Although the mechanism of epilepsy research has reached up to the genetic level, the presently available treatment and recovery records of epilepsy does not seem promising. Recently, natural medicines have attracted more researches owing to their low toxicity and side-effects as well as the excellent efficacy, especially in chronic diseases. In this study, the antiepileptic mechanism of the bioactive components of natural drugs was reviewed so as to provide a reference for the development of potential antiepileptic drugs. Based on the different treatment mechanisms of natural drugs considered in this review, it is possible to select drugs clinically. Improving the accuracy of medication and the cure rate is expected to compensate for the shortage of the conventional epilepsy treatment drugs.

Keywords: bioactive components; epilepsy; mechanisms; natural herbal medicines; therapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Effects of natural drugs on receptor pathway. α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPAR), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), excitatory amino acid transporter (EAAT), -aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate decarboxylase (GAD), glutamate (Glu), glycine (Gly), N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Effects of natural drugs on immune system. Interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Effects of natural drugs on mitochondrial damage and oxidative stress. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), catalase (CAT), glutathione S-transferase (GST), glutathione peroxidase (GPX), peroxiredoxin (PRX), malondialdehyde (MDA), reactive oxygen species (ROS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (NOXs).
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
The therapeutic mechanism of integrated Chinese and Western medicine. Interleukin 6 (IL-6), reactive oxygen species (ROS), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), leukotriene C4 (LTC4), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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