Seizures / Epilepsy
INSULIN RESISTANCE LOWERS THE LEVELS OF NITRIC OXIDE – (03-27-06)
Involvement of nitric oxide pathway in the acute anticonvulsant effect of melatonin in mice
The biochemistry on this one gets a little deep, but stay with me for a second. First, this is a mouse study, so take it for what it’s worth. But this does show the incredibly complex interactions between the systems of the mammalian system.
In this study, melation was given to protect against seizures. But the beneficial effect was only seen in the presence of nitric oxide (actually, the benefit was seen when a nitric oxide precurser, L-arginine, was given). So, what about insulin resistance? We know that insulin resistance lowers the effective levels of nitric oxide. So, if melationin is going to be used to help manage seizures, insulin sensitivity has to be managed as well for the most positive effects. How ’bout that for a tangled web?
