| Epilepsy is a common and primary neurological disorder which widely afflicts human beings. Research from molecular genetics and pharmacology has revealed an important role of voltage-dependent calcium channels in epilepsy. The new anticonvulsant Topiramate (TPM) has clinically proven to be highly effective in antiepileptic treatment and its mechanisms of action remain unknown. We tested the effect of TPM on the rat neuronal L-type calcium channels transfected in HEK 293 cells. Our results showed 100uM TPM had significant inhibitory effect on the amplitude of the rat neuronal L-type calcium currents elicited from rat neuronal L-type calcium channel in transfected HEK 293 cells (n = 3); the percentage of maximal current blockade was 59□13%. In addition, 10uM TPM did not change the voltage dependence of the L-type calcium channel. These results are consistent with previous literature. However, more samples need to be collected to further consolidate our conclusion and the future work includes evaluating the role of phosphorylation in these changes. |
