Research Information System
Epilepsy Research, vol.213, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between ghrelin levels and severity of inflammation in children with epilepsy by evaluating the differences in total ghrelin, High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1), Interleukin-1 Receptor Type 1 (IL1R1), and Interleukin-1 Beta (IL1-β) levels in patients with drug-resistant and non-drug-resistant epilepsy and comparing these parameters with those of healthy controls. Methods: We measured total ghrelin, HMGB1, IL1R1, and IL1-β levels—known to play roles in epileptogenesis—in patients with severe (n: 28), mild (n:29) epilepsy, and 31 healthy controls. The severe epilepsy group included patients with treatment-resistant epilepsy, while the mild epilepsy group consisted of patients whose seizures could be controlled with monotherapy. Results: Total ghrelin levels, along with HMGB1, IL1R1, and IL1-β, were significantly elevated in children with epilepsy compared to healthy controls. This increase was more pronounced in the drug-resistant epilepsy group, suggesting a potential role for ghrelin in drug-resistant epilepsy. While no direct correlation was found between ghrelin and the inflammatory markers, we observed that ghrelin levels rose significantly when levels of IL1R1, IL1-β, and HMGB1 surpassed their respective cut-off values in epilepsy patients. The biomarkers IL1R1 and IL1-β had the strongest discriminative potential in distinguishing patients with severe epilepsy from healthy controls. Although ghrelin was not as powerful a diagnostic marker as IL1R1 or IL1-β, it still showed moderate diagnostic value. Conclusion: Ghrelin could serve as a biomarker reflecting both inflammation and drug resistance in epilepsy. It may be associated with inflammatory responses in epilepsy and could play a potential role in the pathophysiology of the disease.