The CNTF-derived peptide mimetic Cintrofin attenuates spatial-learning deficits in a rat post-status epilepticus model

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Vera Russmann
  • Natalie Seeger
  • Christina Zellinger
  • Martin Hadamitzky
  • Pankratova, Stanislava
  • Hannes Wendt
  • Elisabeth Bock
  • Vladimir Berezin
  • Heidrun Potschka

Ciliary neurotrophic growth factor is considered a potential therapeutic agent for central nervous system diseases. We report first in vivo data of the ciliary neurotrophic growth factor peptide mimetic Cintrofin in a rat post-status epilepticus model. Cintrofin prevented long-term alterations in the number of doublecortin-positive neuronal progenitor cells and attenuated the persistence of basal dendrites. In contrast, Cintrofin did neither affect acute status epilepticus-associated alterations in hippocampal cell proliferation and neurogenesis nor reveal any relevant effect on seizure activity. Whereas status epilepticus caused a significant disturbance in spatial learning in reversed peptide-treated rats, the performance of Cintrofin-treated rats did not differ from controls. The study confirms that Cintrofin comprises an active sequence mimicking effects of its parent molecule. While the data argue against an antiepileptogenic effect, they indicate a putative disease-modifying impact of Cintrofin.

Original languageEnglish
JournalNeuroscience Letters
Volume556
Pages (from-to)170-5
Number of pages6
ISSN0304-3940
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 27 Nov 2013

    Research areas

  • Animals, Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor, Female, Hippocampus, Learning, Microglia, Molecular Mimicry, Nerve Degeneration, Neurogenesis, Neurons, Peptide Fragments, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Status Epilepticus

ID: 118388488