title: Nitric oxide involvement in seizures elicited by pentylentetrazol and sex dependence.
abstract: It has been known that susceptibility to some types of epilepsy is affected by sex. In addition, the role of NO in epileptogenesis is still unclear; NO has been suggested to be either an anticonvulsive or a proconvulsive agent. In an attempt to elucidate both the role of NO and sex differences in sensitivity to seizures, male and female Wistar rats were treated intraperitoneally (i.p.) by pentylentetrazol (PTZ)(80 mg/kg) and by a nitric oxide synthase(NOS) inhibitor N-omega-nitro-L-arginine-mthylester(L-NAME)(50mg/kg) and a NO precursor sodium-nitroprusside(SNP)(2.5mg/kg)- applied 15 min. before PTZ injection. Latency, frequency, severity, and duration of generalized clonic and clonic-tonic convulsions were recorded. Furthermore, alterations in severity, latency, frequency, and duration of convulsions were observed to correlate with NO. Both sexes, injected with PTZ, showed repetitive seizure patterns. Seizures were found to be more severe in females. L-NAME and SNP pretreatment produced paradoxical effects on PTZ-induced seizures in both sexes. L-NAME completely prevented PTZ-induced seizures in male rats, whereas increased severity, frequency, duration, and significantly shortened the latency in female rats. Unexpectedly, SNP increased convulsion severity, frequency, duration, and shortened latencies in male, whereas it decreased convulsion severity, frequency, and duration and prolonged latency in females. These results indicate that endogenous NO is involved in the regulation of convulsive action suggesting a role depending on sex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Capa-Istanbul, Turkey. guzum@istanbul.edu.tr
authors.forename: Gülay
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Uzüm
authors.forename: Kadriye
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Akgün-Dar
authors.forename: Nesrin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bahçekapili
authors.forename: A Sarper
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Diler
authors.forename: Y Ziya
authors.initials: YZ
authors.lastname: Ziylan
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012727:Sex Characteristics
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D009599:Nitroprusside; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole