title: Potential mechanisms involved in the anticonvulsant effect of walnut extract on pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It was the aim of this study to determine the potential effect of walnut kernel extract (WKE) on experimentally induced seizures in rats and to evaluate the role of benzodiazepines and ethosuximide (ESM) within these pathways.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Wistar rats were selected and divided into eight groups. Seizures were evoked by intravenous infusion of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ; 2 mg/ml/min). In combination with PTZ, animals were treated with vehicle or WKE (100 mg/kg i.p.), with or without cotreatment with either flumazenil (FMZ; 5 mg/kg i.p.), ESM (150 mg/kg i.p.) or diazepam (DPZ; 0.5 mg/kg i.p.).
  
  
  RESULTS
  WKE administration significantly increased the PTZ dose needed to induce the first myoclonic jerk (13.09 ± 1.29 vs. 49.71 ± 12.03 mg/kg; p < 0.001), decreased the severity of seizure grades and reduced the mortality rate to 0%. FMZ did not significantly reduce the anticonvulsant effect of WKE. The combination of DPZ and WKE showed a synergic anticonvulsant effect, whereas ESM had no significant influence (p > 0.05) on the WKE effects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicated that WKE was effective at reducing seizure severity, at increasing the dose to the first myoclonic jerk and highly efficacious at preventing mortality, because 100% of animals were protected. It seems that this positive effect could apply through signaling pathways other than benzodiazepine-mediated γ-aminobutyric acid receptors and may at least in part be similar to ESM.
authors.affiliation: Neuroscience Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asadi-Shekaari
authors.forename: Azam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Eslami
authors.forename: Tajpari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kalantaripour
authors.forename: Siyavash
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joukar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003975:Diazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005013:Ethosuximide / Q000494:pharmacology; D005442:Flumazenil / Q000494:pharmacology; D031324:Juglans; D008297:Male; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D010936:Plant Extracts; D005442:Flumazenil; D005013:Ethosuximide; D003975:Diazepam; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole