Abstract
Pentobarbital and phenobarbital exhibited anticonvulsant effect against maximal electroshock (MES) and picrotoxin-induced seizures in rats. Bicuculline, a GABA A receptor antagonist, reversed the anticonvulsant effect of pentobarbital, but not of phenobarbital, at a dose having no effect per se. Although picrotoxin (2 mg/kg, IP) potentiated MES seizures, it did not reverse the anticonvulsant effect due to either pentobarbital or phenobarbital. GABA B receptor antagonists such as γ-amino-n-valeric acid and homotaurine failed to modify the anticonvulsant effect due to pentobarbital or phenobarbital. Furthermore, GABA A agonist muscimol but not baclofen, a GABA B receptor agonist, exhibited the anticonvulsant effect against MES-induced seizures. However, baclofen when combined with sub-effective dose of pentobartibal or phenobarbital offered protection against MES seizures. Pentobarbital and phenobarbital were effective in almost equivalent doses against MES, as well as against picrotoxin-induced seizures. These observations indicated that pentobarbital exhibits anticonvulsant effect against MES seizures through the involvement of GABA A receptors, and activation of GABA B receptors alone does not seem to play any significant role in MES seizures and in the anticonvulsant effect of pentobarbital. However, activation of GABA B receptor does potentiate the facilitatory effect of barbiturates on GABA Aergic transmission and in their anti-MES effect. Moreover, these results also suggest that the anticonvulsant effect of barbiturates against MES-seizures may involve other mechanisms in addition to GABA Aergic transmission.
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