Neurophysiological study on possible protective and therapeutic effects of sidr (Zizyphus spina- christi L) fruit extract in male albino rats treated with pentylenetetrazol

Sidr (Zizyphus spina-christi L) has several physiological and morphological characteristics. In this study, anticonvulsant effect of sidr fruit extract was examined by using pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) model on male albino rat, by evaluating the changes in norepinphrine (NE), dopamine (DA), serotonin (5-HT) gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA) contents in different brain regions (cerebellum, brain stem, striatum, cerebral cortex, hypothalamus and hippocampus). Administration of subconvulsive dose of PTZ (40mg/kg i.p.) every other day for 9 days caused a significant decrease in neurotransmitter content in different brain areas, this is may be due to increased nitric oxide (NO) levels and activation in Na(+)-ATPase activity, which caused neurotransmitter release so the content is decreased. The administration of PTZ after treatment with sidr (50mg/kg i.p.) fruit extract for 3 weeks as a protective group, and administration of sidr fruit extract for 3 weeks after treatment of PTZ as a therapeutic groups caused significant increase in NE, DA, 5-HT and GABA contents in all tested brain regions at most of the time intervals studied which may be related to presence of ascorbic acid (vitamin C)in the extract which inhibit neurotransmitters release by inhibition of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity, which activated by PTZ,so the content is increased.From these results, we can say that the sidr fruit extract has a neuroprotective and therapeutic role against pentylenetetrazol convulsant effect.