Review Cytokines, epilepsy and antiepileptic drugs – is there a mutual influence?

In recent years, the functional disturbances of the immune system, both humoral and cell-mediated immunity, have been detected more often among persons with epilepsy than in general population. A number of irregularities in cytokine production have been found in epileptic patients. It shows that epileptic seizures stimulate, per se, synthesis of pro-inflammatory and pro-convulsive cyto-kines. Some antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) influence the production of cytokines, too. The influence of AEDs on cytokine concentra-tions in blood has been observed, e.g. during carbamazepine (CBZ) or valproic acid (VPA) therapy. This article is a review of the literature which focuses on the connections between epilepsy and the cytokine system as well as on the influence of AEDs on the cell-mediated and humoral response in epileptic patients. Correlation of immunological irregularities in patients with the type, dos-age, and serum level of AEDs will allow for early detection of undesirable treatment consequences in epilepsy. Elucidation of con-nections between cytokine system, epileptogenesis and effectiveness of AED therapy requires a better planned research on larger groups of patients with epilepsy. Key words: epilepsy, cytokines, antiepileptic drugs, interleukin