Methods

The animals received JB (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, po) 30 min before induction of convulsions with intraperitoneal (ip) injection of picotoxin (6 mg/kg), strychnine (2 mg/kg) and pentylenetetrazole (85 mg/kg) respectively. Diazepam (2 mg/kg, po) was used as the reference drug. Anti-seizure activities were assessed based on the ability of test drugs to prevent convulsions, death or to delay the onset of seizures in mice.

Results

JB (5, 10 and 20 mg/kg, po) could only delay the onset of seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole (85 mg/kg, ip) in mice. However, it did not did not offer any protection against seizure episodes, as it failed to prevent the animals, from exhibiting tonic-clonic convulsions caused by pentylenetetrazole (85 mg/kg, ip), strychnine (2 mg/kg) or picrotoxin (6 mg/kg, ip). On the other hand, diazepam (2 mg/kg, ip), offered 100% protection against convulsive seizures, induced by pentylenetetrazole (85 mg/kg, ip). However, it failed to prevent seizures produced by strychnine (2 mg/kg, ip) or picrotoxin (6 mg/kg, ip).

Discussion

Our results suggest that JB could not prevent the examined chemoconvulsants-induced convulsions. However, its ability to delay the latency to seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole suggests that JB might be effective in the control of the seizure spread in epileptic brains.