1Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, Azeezia Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Kollam, Kerala, India
2Professor, Department of Anatomy, Shri B M Patil Medical College, BLDE University, Vijayapura, Karnataka state, India
3Professor, Department of Pharmacology, Azeezia Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Kollam, Kerala, India
4Professor and Head, Department of Anatomy, Azeezia Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Kollam, Kerala, India
In spite of growing armamentarium of antiepileptic drugs, many patients continue to have seizures. This propels for search of novel and safe drugs for resistant and recurrent convulsions. Calcium channel blockers have been ascribed with anticonvulsant actions. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the anticonvulsant actions of diltiazem, nimodipine and flunarizine among Wistar albino rats in Maximum Electroshock-induced Seizure (MES) model.
Thirty inbred Wistar rats weighing 150–200 grams of either sex, divided into five groups containing six rats in each. Group 3, 4 and 5 were pre-treated with diltiazem (20mg/kg), nimodipine (20mg/kg) and flunarizine (10mg/kg) respectively. Group 2 was standard group, received phenytoin (25mg/kg). The groups pre-treated with calcium channel blockers were compared with this standard. Group 1 was negative control and were given normal saline. All groups were subjected to MES. During and after the MES, the duration of flexion, duration of tonic hind limb extension and duration of clonus (in seconds) were noted. Abolition of hind limb extension and reduction (or absence) of the clonus duration after the drug administration were considered as anticonvulsant effect of the test drug.
Rats pre-treated with diltiazem, nimodipine, flunarizine showed statistically significant reduction in duration of hind limb extension phase and clonic seizures. Total duration of the seizures was also significantly lower and comparable to phenytoin pre-treated rats. All rats in all groups survived the experiments indicating the doses used during the study were not lethal
Diltiazem (20mg/kg), nimodipine (20mg/kg) and flunarizine (10mg/kg) have anticonvulsant action among Wistar rats in MES model.
Calcium channel blockers, anticonvulsant, seizure, epilepsy, diltiazem, nimodipine, flunarizine, maximum electroshock model
