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=Volume 8 - 2017

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 the major cause of premature death related to epilepsy. The causes of SUDEP remain unknown but cardiac arrhythmias have been suggested as a major mechanism of its fatal 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 the inflammatory states. Our group previously reported that levels of IL-6 were increased in the heart of epileptic rats. In this scenario, anti-inflammatory actions are among the beneficial effects of fish oil dietary. This investigation revealed that elevated heart levels of IL-6 were marked reduced in epileptic rats long-term treated with fish oil, suggesting protective anti-inflammatory actions against the dangerous high levels of IL-6. Based on these findings, our results suggest the beneficial effects of long-term intake of fish oil on reducing the inflammation associated with chronic epilepsy.