[Effect of saikosaponins on epileptic rat electroenciphalogram].
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of saikosaponins on the electroencephalogram (EEG) of epileptic rats to evaluate its therapeutic effect against epilepsies.


METHODS
Sixty 8-week-old healthy SD rats were randomized into normal control group (A), epileptic model group (B), lamotrigine group (C), and 3 saikosaponin groups of small, moderate and high doses (D, E, and F groups, respectively), with 10 rats in each group. Penicillin was used to induce epilepsy in the latter 5 groups, and the EEG and onset of epileptic seizures were observed in each group.


RESULTS
In group B, the EEG contained obvious epileptic discharges, which were not found in that in group A. After treatment with saikosaponins and lamotrignie, the EEG of group C and F became normal, whereas the EEG in group D still contained epileptic discharges at a low level, and that in group E was basically normal. The EEGs of group C, D, E, and F were significantly different from that in group B (P<0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
Saikosaponins can obviously alleviate the severity of epileptic seizure in epileptic rats.
Huang
Yun-sheng
YS
Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. hnhys2002@yahoo.com.cn
Xie
Wei
W
Chen
Bao-tian
BT
D000818:Animals; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects*; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009828:Oleanolic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012503:Saponins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D012503:Saponins; D009828:Oleanolic Acid; C025759:saikosaponin D