Antiepileptic Properties of Scyllo-Inositol on Pentylenetetrazol-Induced Seizures.

Epilepsy, with about 70 million affected people worldwide, is one of the biggest challenges of medicine today. It is estimated that about one-third of epileptic patients receive inadequate treatment. Inositols have proved effective in many disorders; hence, in the current study, we tested potential antiepileptic properties of scyllo-inositol (SCI)-one of the most common commercially available inositols-in zebrafish larvae with pentylenetetrazol-induced seizures. First, we studied the general effect of SCI on zebrafish motility, and then we tested SCI antiepileptic properties over short (1 h) and long (120 h) exposure protocols. Our results demonstrated that SCI alone does not reduce zebrafish motility regardless of the dose. We also observed that short-term exposure to SCI groups reduced PTZ-treated larva motility compared to controls (p < 0.05). In contrast, prolonged exposure did not produce similar results, likely due to the insufficient concentration of SCI given. Our results highlight the potential of SCI use in epilepsy treatment and warrant further clinical studies with inositols as potential seizure-reducing drugs.

Non-clinical toxicity of (+)-limonene epoxide and its physio-pharmacological properties on neurological disorders.

The compound (+)-limonene epoxide has antioxidant, anxiolytic, and antihelminthic properties. However, investigations to determine its long-term exposure were not performed. We investigated the systemic toxicological profile after chronic exposure as well as the antidepressant and antiepileptic potentialities of (+)-limonene epoxide on mice. Initially, we evaluated acute toxicity on Artemia salina nauplii and cytotoxicity on mice erythrocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Aftterwards, mice were chronically treated for 120 days by gavage with (+)-limonene epoxide (25, 50, and 75 mg/kg/day) and this exposure was assessed by pathophysiological measurements. For antidepressant and anticonvulsivant analysis, we performed the forced swimming and tail suspension protocols and pentylenetetrazol- and picrotoxin-induced seizures, respectively. (+)-Limonene epoxide showed a LC50 value of 318.7 µg/mL on A. salina shrimps, caused lysis of red blood cells at higher concentrations only but did not show cytotoxicity on PMBC, which suggests pharmacological safety if plasma concentrations do not exceed 100 µg/mL. Macroscopic, hematological, clinical chemistry, and nutritional changes were not detected, though focal areas of hepatic necrosis, inflammatory infiltrate, and karyolysis have been detected at 75 mg/kg/day. The compound inhibited the developing of pentylenetetrazol- and picrotoxin-induced seizures, decreased deaths, and reduced immobility times, mainly at 75 mg/kg. So, it reversed reserpine effects, suggesting antidepressant effects should be linked to serotonergic and/or adrenergic transmission. It is feasible that (+)-limonene epoxide plays a benzodiazepine-like anticonvulsive action and may be also recommended as an antidote for poisonings caused by central depressants.

Experimental study on the antiepileptic properties of alpha-asarone in different epilepsy models / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the antiepileptic activity of alpha-asarone in three epilepsy models.Methods The MES mice,MST mice and Lithium-pilocarpine rats were divided randomly and respectively into groups each containing 20 animals(?-asarone groups,AED groups and normal control group).Different doses of alpha-asarone were administered to mice/rats in advance in alpha-asarone treated groups,one group received only saline,while the other groups received antiepileptic drug as a reference standard,2 times per day for 28 days.The seizure severity score,seizure latency and total number of animals with seizures were noted to observe whether alpha-asarone had anticonvulsant effect or not in three epilepsy models.Results Alpha-asarone possessed excellent anticonvulsant effect in MES and MST and lithium-pilocarpine models. It significantly decreased the seizure incidence 40%~100% in the MES models and 50%~90% in MST models,and 40%~80% in the Lithium-pilocarpine model. It significantly prolonged the seizure latency 70~180 s in MST mice and 4~15 min in Lithium-pilocarpine rats;It significantly reduced the seizure severity scores 1.96 in Lithium-pilocarpine rats.Conclusions Alpha-asarone had a positive antiepileptic activity.