The Anticonvulsant and Neuroprotective Effect of the Stachys Lavandulifolia Against the Epileptic Model of the Seizures Induced by Pentylenetetrazol in the Male Rats

Background: Considering the prevalence of epilepsy and the failure of available treatments for many epileptic patients, finding more effective drugs in the treatment of epilepsy s eems necessary. The aim of the present study was to investigate the ameliorative effect of Stachys lavandulifolia extract (SLE) against pentylenetetrazol-induced kindling was studied. Methods: Kindling was produced by sub-convulsant doses of PTZ treatments in rats. Twenty-four Wistar albino rats were divided into 4 groups; PTZ treated (PTZ), PTZ+SLE treated (PTZ+SLE) and PTZ+ phenobarbital treated (PTZ+PB) groups. Extracts were given a dose (25 and 50 mg/kg) 30 min before each PTZ injection. In addition, after the end of the experiment, the rats were killed and their brains were removed for the histological study. Findings: The obtained data from this experiment demonstrated that compared to the control group, the SLE delayed the initiation and duration of the tonic, clonic and tonic-clonic seizures and significantly reduced the tonic and clonic seizures. Furthermore, the administration of the SLE significantly prevented the production of the dark neurons in different areas of the hippocampus compared to PTZ group. Conclusion: The results from this study suggest the presence of significant anticonvulsant activity in SLE, in PTZ-induced seizure models, which could be due to its antioxidant activity, as is reflected by the change in oxidative stress markers in the brain.

Keywords:

Stachys lavandulifolia , Epilepsy , Kindling , Anticonvulsants , pentylenetetrazol