Influence of agmatine on the protective action of numerous antiepileptic drugs against pentetrazole-induced seizures in mice.
Journal Title: Pharmacological Reports - Year 2009, Vol 61, Issue 2
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess the influence of agmatine (an endogenous neuromodulator/neurotransmitter in the brain) on the protective action of numerous classical and second-generation antiepileptic drugs (clonazepam, ethosuximide, gabapentin, phenobarbital, tiagabine, vigabatrin, and valproate) in the mouse pentetrazole-induced clonic seizure model. The results indicate that agmatine (up to 100 mg/kg, ip, 45 min before the test) did not alter the threshold for pentetrazole-induced clonic seizures in mice. However, agmatine (100 mg/kg, ip) significantly attenuated the anticonvulsant effects of vigabatrin against pentetrazole-induced clonic seizures by elevating the ED(50) value of vigabatrin from 517.5 to 790.3 mg/kg (p < 0.01). In contrast, agmatine at a dose of 50 mg/kg did not significantly affect the anticonvulsant action of vigabatrin, although an increase in the ED(50) value of the antiepileptic drug from 517.5 to 629.1 mg/kg was documented. Moreover, agmatine at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg (ip) had no significant impact on the anticonvulsant action of clonazepam, ethosuximide, gabapentin, phenobarbital, tiagabine, or valproate in pentetrazole-induced seizures in mice. In conclusion, the combination of agmatine with vigabatrin seems to be unfavorable due to the reduction of the anticonvulsant effect of vigabatrin after concomitant administration of agmatine in the pentetrazole-induced seizure model. Therefore, the utmost caution is advised when combining agmatine with vigabatrin in further clinical settings.
Authors and Affiliations
Jarogniew Luszczki, Remigiusz Czernecki, Monika Dudra-Jastrzebska, Kinga Borowicz, Stanisław Czuczwar
Gender and the endothelium.
The understanding of the basis of gender differences in vascular function is of critical importance to establish gender targeted interventions in cardiovascular medicine. In this review we concentrate on the central role...
Effect of short- and long-term treatment with antidepressant drugs on the activity of rat CYP2A in the liver.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of tricyclic antidepressants (TADs: imipramine, amitriptyline, clomipramine, desipramine), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs: fluoxetine, sertral...
Effect of mirtazepine on the CYP2D activity in the primary culture of rat hepatocytes.
Our previous studies carried out on rats showed that mirtazapine given intraperitoneally at a dose of 3 mg/kg, twice a day for two weeks, increased the activity of CYP2D measured as ethylmorphine O-deethylation in liver...
Experimental asthma in rats.
Animal models of asthma have been used for over 100 years. The accuracy of extrapolations from animal models to human asthmatics is highly dependent on the species of animal selected. The rat, in comparison with other an...
Synergistic protective effect of picroside II and NGF on PC12 cells against oxidative stress induced by H(2)O(2).
Epidemiological studies suggest that nerve growth factor (NGF) is associated with a reduced risk of acute or chronic neuropathies. We studied the synergistic protective effect of picroside II and NGF against the oxidativ...