Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment for Epilepsy: Focusing on Voltage-Gated Ion Channels.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Epilepsy (EP) is a chronic neurological disease, and the clinical treatment of EP is dominated by modern drugs, but one-third of the patients have drug-resistant reactions, which seriously affects the quality of patients' survival. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), however, as a promising resource, plays a unique advantage in improving the clinical symptoms of EP and alleviating the adverse effects of modern drug therapy. A large number of studies in recent years have reported that TCM plays an important role in EP treatment by regulating voltage-gated ion channels (VGICs). AIM OF STUDY: This study aims to examine the mechanisms by which VGICs influence EP, providing further elucidate the potential targets of TCM in treating EP by regulating VGICs, including traditional herbal formulas and active compounds. The objective is to offer fresh insights and strategies for the research and management of EP. METHODS: Literature information was obtained from the scientific databases PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane library, and CNKI, built until June 2024, with search terms including "epilepsy", "voltage-gated ion channels ", "Chinese medicine" or "herbal medicine", "medicinal plants", "natural plants " and "herbal medicine". RESULTS: The results suggest that TCM can affect VGICs by influencing the opening of these channels, thereby regulating the currents and concentrations of sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and calcium (Ca2+). Additionally, TCM modulates the expression of VGIC-related proteins, which in turn affects the release of neurotransmitters, including inflammatory mediators, oxidative stress markers, and glutamate. This process ultimately decreases neuronal excitability and helps inhibit the onset of EP. CONCLUSIONS: By modulating key VGICs such as VGSCs, VGKCs, and VGCCs, TCM plays an important role in the treatment of EP, providing a novel therapeutic strategy based on traditional practices and modern science.