title: The involvement of neuronal nitric oxide synthase in the anti-epileptic action of curcumin on pentylenetetrazol-kindled rats.
abstract: In this study, it was investigated whether a NO signaling pathway is involved in the anti-epileptic effect of curcumin on pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-kindled rats. PTZ-kindled rats received different doses of curcumin that were administered intraperitoneally for 24 days. Either a non-selective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) (N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)), a selective inhibitor of neuronal NOS (7-Nitroindazole (7-NI)), a selective inhibitor of inducible NOS (aminoguanidine (AG)), or a NO precursor (L-arginine (L-ARG)) was administered chronically to evaluate the role of NO in curcumin's anti-seizure effect. A chronic administration of curcumin (200 mg/kg) was most effective for decreasing the mean frequency of epileptiform discharge. Furthermore, a pretreatment with L-NAME or 7-NI augmented the anti-epileptic effect of curcumin. In contrast, AG failed to significantly alter the anti-epileptic effect of curcumin. A pretreatment with L-ARG temporally reversed the anti-epileptic effect of curcumin in the early stage, but in the late stage, it potentiated curcumin's anti-epileptic effect. These findings suggest that the L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway may be involved in the anti-epileptic properties of curcumin, and that the role of nNOS (and not iNOS) is prominent in this neuroprotective feature.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Wenting
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery and Epilepsy Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Regenerative Medicine Centre, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China.
authors.forename: Changbin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jiang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D003292:Convulsants; D003474:Curcumin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D003292:Convulsants; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D003474:Curcumin; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole
keywords: Curcumin; epilepsy; nitric oxide; nitric oxide synthase; pentylenetetrazol