title: Anticonvulsant Effects of Lippia citriodora (Verbenaceae) Leaves Ethanolic Extract in Mice: Role of GABAergic System.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lippia citriodora Kunth is one of the Iranian traditional medicines for the treatment of convulsive disorders. The goal of this study is to investigate the anticonvulsant activity of the plant's leave ethanolic extract against electro- and chemoconvulsant-induced seizures in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The anticonvulsant activity of the extract (200, 400, 800 mg/kg, per os, p.o.) was investigated in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) and maximal electroshock (MES)-induced seizures in mice. Diazepam (1 mg/kg) and phenytoin (25 mg/kg) intraperitoneally (i.p.) were used as reference drugs. In addition, for investigating the role of GABAergic system, flumazenil (2 mg/kg, i.p.) was also injected before L. citriodora.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The extract had not any toxicity and significantly decreased the duration and increased the latency of the seizures induced by PTZ (90 mg/kg). In the MES test, L. citriodora displayed statistically significant reduction in hind limb tonic extension duration in a nondose-dependent manner. Flumazenil reversed the anticonvulsant activity of the plant's extract in the PTZ model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results propose that L. citriodora leave ethanolic extract has anticonvulsant activity against convulsive disorders. It seems that this plant's extract generates its antiseizure effect through GABAergic system potentiation. Further studies will be needed in order to investigate the exact mechanisms of it. Moreover, one may conclude that the present results are in accordance with the positive effect of L. citriodora extract to treat convulsion mentioned in old Iranian literature.
authors: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Amir
authors: A
authors: Rashidian
authors: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Forogh
authors: F
authors: Farhang
authors: Department of Basic Sciences and Nutrition, Faculty of Health, Health Sciences Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
authors: Habib
authors: H
authors: Vahedi
authors: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Ahmad Reza
authors: AR
authors: Dehpour
authors: Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Shahram
authors: S
authors: Ejtemai Mehr
authors: Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Saeed
authors: S
authors: Mehrzadi
authors: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Seyed Mahdi
authors: SM
authors: Rezayat
keywords: Anticonvulsant; Lippia citriodora; maximal electroshock; mice; pentylenetetrazole