Status Epilepticus During Recovery from General Anesthesia

Propofol is an anesthetic agent commonly used for sedation and induction and/or maintenance of general anesthesia and presents an inhibitory effect on the excitatory neurotransmitters through GABA receptors. Although propofol is an agent that can be used to treat status epilepticus because of its anticonvulsant property, it may cause epileptiform convulsions, as reported in the literature. In this case report, a young patient’s epileptiform convulsions after administering a single dose of propofol injection for general anesthesia are presented. Due to uncontrolled epilepsy episodes following extubation, the patient was taken to intensive care. The patient regained consciousness, and epileptic attacks were controlled on the 4th day of intensive, was taken to the neurology service. We consider that this case is noteworthy concerning the association between propofol and epilepsy in anesthesia. Thus, this study aimed to draw attention to propofol in patients with a history of epilepsy.

Evaluation of the anticonvulsant and anxiolytic-like activities of aqueous leaf extract of Cymbopogon citratus in mice

BackgroundAnxiety is a common ailment of high co-morbidity with epilepsy, a chronic neurologic disease characterized by recurrent seizures. Current drugs used for these conditions have several limitations such as disabling side effects, relapse, and ineffectiveness in certain population necessitating the search for alternative options. The aqueous leaf extract of Cymbopogon citratus (CYC) is widely used for its various health-promoting effects including relief of seizures and anxiety in ethnomedicine. This present study describes its effects on convulsions, anxiety-like behaviors, and social interaction in mice.MethodsMale Swiss mice were pretreated orally with CYC (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg), diazepam (1 mg/kg), or distilled water (10 mL/kg) 60 min before induction of convulsions with intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of picrotoxin (10 mg/kg), pentylenetetrazole (PTZ; 85 mg/kg), or isoniazid (300 mg/kg). The animals were then observed for the occurrence of seizure for 30 min or 2 h for isoniazid. The effects of CYC on anxiety-like behaviors, social interaction, and spontaneous motor activity (SMA) were evaluated in naive mice.ResultsCYC (25–100 mg/kg) did not prevent convulsions nor delay the latency to convulsions induced by picrotoxin, PTZ, or isoniazid. Pretreatment with CYC (50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o) produced anxiolytic-like effect, decreased SMA, and also enhanced social interaction behavior in naive mice.ConclusionsThe results of this study suggest that CYC did not exhibit an anticonvulsant property in mice injected with picrotoxin, PTZ, or isoniazid, but its anxiolytic-like activity and social interaction-promoting effect might be of benefit as an adjuvant in improving the quality of life of epileptic patients.

Assessment of Morus alba (Mulberry) leaves extract for anti-convulsant property in rats

Background: The mulberry tree, a plant of the family Moraceae and the genus Morus, has been widely cultivated to feed silkworms. Various parts of Morus alba linn used as an Anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, free radical scavenging activity and neuroprotective agent. The plant contains flavonoids, moranoline, albanol, morusin coumarine, and stilbene, which have. In this study, anticonvulsant property of Morus alba leaves extract (MAE) was evaluated by using MES and PTZ induced convulsion in rats.Methods: Effects of MAE were evaluated in experimental models of electro convulsions, maximal electro shock (MES) and chemoconvulsion induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) in rats (n=6), which were treated intraperitonially with doses of 100, 200 and 400mg/kg.Results: The duration of tonic hind limb extension (seconds) with MAE in MES induced convulsions at dose of 100, 200, 400 mg/kg is 8.33±1.21, 6.83±1.16 & 3.16±0.98 respectively. In the dose of 400 mg/kg of MAE showed highly significant results by reducing the duration of tonic hind limb extension in MES induced convulsions. And onset of jerky movements (seconds) with MAE in PTZ induced convulsions at dose of 100, 200, 400mg/kg is 157.83±8.99, 195.66±17.02 and 295.50±21.10 respectively. In the dose of 400mg/kg of MAE showed highly significant results by delaying the onset of convulsions.Conclusions: Results indicate that the MAE have anticonvulsant effects in MES induced convulsions and in PTZ induced convulsions.

Anti epileptic activity of ocimum species: A brief review

The Ocimum species is a medicinal herb used in the indigenous system of medicine. Ocimum sp. have variety of biological, pharmacological properties such as antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antimalarial, anthelmentic, antidiarrhoeal, antiinflammatory, antihypertensive, cardioprotective, central nervous system (CNS) depressant, antidiabetic, antithyroidic, antioxidant, anticancer, chemopreventive, radioprotective, immunomodulatory, antifertility, antiulcer, antiarthritic, antistress, antileucodermal and anticoagulant activities. Sevral species of Ocimum are used to cure central nervous system (CNS) disorders.in various part of the world due to its anticonvulsant property .epilepsy is a chronic disorder which is characterized by seizures. Seizures are resistant to treatment with currently available anticonvulsant drug (AEDs) in about one out of three patient with epilepsy. This review refers to the study of ocimum as an antiepileptic drug (AEDs) because of its specific anticonvulsant property.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/ijasbt.v1i4.9168 Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol. 1(4): 180-183

Anticonvulsant property of N-salicyloyltryptamine: evidence of enhance of central GABAergic neurotransmission

AIM: In the present study we verified the anticonvulsant properties of the new tryptamine analogue, N-salicyloyltryptamine (NST), in rodents. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the evaluation of the anticonvulsant activity, NST protected the animals from the incidence of seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) and picrotoxin (PIC), in doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg. NST (100 and 200 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly eliminated the extensor reflex of maximal electric-induced seizure tests in 40% of the experimental animals. However, in the PTZ model FLU (10 mg/kg, i.p.), an antagonist of the benzodiazepine (BZD) site in the GABA A-BZD receptor complex, inhibited the prolongation of seizure latency induced by NST. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated an anticonvulsant activity of the new analogue that could be, at least in part, associated to the involvement of the GABAergic mechanism.

Anticonvulsant activity of Nylandtia spinosa L. Dumont (Polygalaceae) aqueous and methanol leaf extracts in mice

Aqueous and methanol leaf extracts of Nylandtia spinosa L. Dumont (Polygalaceae) were evaluated for anticonvulsant activity against tonic seizures produced in mice by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), bicuculline, picrotoxin, and N-methyl-DL-aspartic acid (NMDLA). Aqueous leaf extract of N. spinosa (50–400 mg/kg, i.p.) and methanol extract (50–400 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly attenuated PTZ (95 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced tonic seizures. Doses of 400 mg/kg (i.p.) and 100–400 mg/kg (i.p.) of aqueous extract of N. spinosa significantly delayed the onset of tonic seizures elicited by bicuculline (35 mg/kg, i.p.) and picrotoxin (12 mg/kg, i.p.), respectively. Methanol extract (200–400 mg/kg, i.p.) and (50–400 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly delayed the onset of tonic seizures induced by bicuculline (35 mg/kg, i.p.) and picrotoxin (12 mg/kg, i.p.), respectively, whereas 400 mg/kg (i.p.) significantly reduced the incidence of picrotoxin (12 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced seizures. Both aqueous and methanol leaf extracts of N. spinosa did not affect NMDLA (400 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced tonic seizures. Phenobarbitone (12.5 mg/kg, i.p.) and diazepam (0.5 mg/kg, i.p.) antagonized tonic seizures induced by PTZ (95 mg/kg, i.p.), bicuculline (35 mg/kg, i.p.), and picrotoxin (12 mg/kg, i.p.) but did not affect NMDLA (400 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced seizures. Phenytoin (30 mg/kg, i.p.) did not alter the tonic seizures produced by either PTZ (95 mg/kg, i.p.), bicuculline –2-(35 mg/kg, i.p.), or picrotoxin (12 mg/kg, i.p.). The results obtained indicate that both aqueous and methanol leaf extracts of N. spinosa possess anticonvulsant property, thus justifying the use of the plant by traditional medicine practitioners in the treatment of epilepsy. The relatively high LD50 of greater than 3600 mg/kg (p.o.) and 1780 mg/kg (i.p.) obtained with the aqueous extract suggest that the plant is relatively safe in mice. The phytochemical analysis carried out showed the presence of tannins, saponins, reducing sugars, alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpene steroids, and cardiac glycosides in the plant material.