title: Electrophysiological actions of the plant alkaloid 6-benzoylheteratisine in rat hippocampal slices.
abstract: The effects of the Aconitum alkaloid 6-benzoylheteratisine on neuronal activity was investigated in the in vitro slice preparation of rat hippocampus by extracellular recording of the stimulus-evoked population spike. 6-Benzoylheteratisine (0.01-10 microM) depressed the orthodromic and antidromic population spike in a concentration-dependent manner. The action of the drug was activity-dependent. The latency of onset of the inhibition was accelerated when the frequency of electrical stimulation had been increased. Furthermore, the effect of 6-benzoylheteratisine was evaluated in two different models of epileptiform activity induced either by blockade of GABA receptors by bicuculline (10 microM) or by a nominal Mg2+-free bathing medium. Due to the activity-dependent mode of action, this drug effectively reduced the number and the size of the synaptically evoked population spikes in the presence of bicuculline or nominal Mg2+-free bathing medium, respectively.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology of Natural Compounds, University of Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ameri
mesh_terms: D000157:Aconitine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids; C104702:6-benzoylheteratisine; D000157:Aconitine