title: 7-Nitroindazole enhances dose-dependently the anticonvulsant activities of conventional antiepileptic drugs in the mouse maximal electroshock-induced seizure model.
abstract: 7-Nitroindazole (7NI, a nitric oxide synthase [NOS] inhibitor) administered intraperitoneally (ip), 30 min before the test, at doses ranging between 50-200 mg/kg, raised the threshold for electroconvulsions in mice. Linear regression analysis revealed that the doses increasing the threshold by 50% (TID50) and 100% (TID100) over the control value for 7NI were 115.2 and 173.4 mg/kg, respectively. Moreover, 7NI dose-dependently potentiated the anticonvulsant effects of four conventional antiepileptic drugs (AEDs: carbamazepine - CBZ, phenobarbital - PB, phenytoin - PHT, and valproate - VPA) in the mouse maximal electroshock-induced seizure (MES) model. 7NI at 50 mg/kg enhanced only the anticonvulsant effect of PB, whereas the drug at 75 and 100 mg/kg potentiated the antiseizure effects of PB, PHT and VPA, but not those of CBZ against MES-induced seizures. Only 7NI at 150 mg/kg enhanced considerably the antielectroshock action of all studied AEDs in the MES test. Pharmacokinetic evaluation of interactions between 7NI and the investigated AEDs revealed that 7NI (150 mg/kg; ip) did not alter total brain concentrations of conventional AEDs in mice. L-arginine (L-Arg - a natural precursor of NO; administered ip, 500 mg/kg, 60 min before electroconvulsions) did not reverse the activity of 7NI (150 mg/kg), but in contrast, it significantly potentiated the anticonvulsant action of conventional AEDs combined with 7NI (150 mg/kg). Pharmacokinetic increase in total brain AED concentrations was observed for the combinations of L-Arg (500 mg/kg) with 7NI (150 mg/kg) and PHT (by 32%; p<0.01) or VPA (by 22%; p<0.05). Neither total brain CBZ nor PB concentrations were altered following the co-administration of L-Arg (500 mg/kg) with 7NI (150 mg/kg). 7NI at doses of 100-200 mg/kg significantly impaired spontaneous ambulatory activity in mice subjected to the Y-maze task. The NOS inhibitor at doses of 50 and 75 mg/kg had no significant effect on locomotor activity of animals, although the number of arm entries within the 5 min of observational time was reduced. Finally, it can be concluded that the enhancement of anticonvulsive efficacy of CBZ, PB, PHT and VPA by 7NI alone or in combination with L-Arg in the MES test, deserves more attention and further neurochemical studies are required to elucidate the exact role of NO in the brain.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathophysiology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8, PL 20-090 Lublin, Poland. jarogniew.luszczki@am.lublin.pl
authors.forename: Jarogniew J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Luszczki
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sacharuk
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wojciechowska
authors.forename: Marta M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Andres-Mach
authors.forename: Monika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dudra-Jastrzebska
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.forename: Katarzyna M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Sawicka
authors.forename: Justyna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kozinska
authors.forename: Stanisław J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Czuczwar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000493:pharmacokinetics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004347:Drug Interactions; D004597:Electroshock; D007191:Indazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D012640:Seizures / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D004338:Drug Combinations; D007191:Indazoles; D001120:Arginine; C080122:7-nitroindazole