Effects of various naturally occurring compounds (arbutin, borneol, esculetin, esculin, ellagic acid, gallic acid, hesperidine, piperitol, piperonal, quercetin, thymoquinone and ursolic acid) against maximal electroshock-induced seizures in mice

Abstract

The aim of this study was to perform the anticonvulsant screening test to select some naturally occurring substances isolated from herbs and medicinal plants that could offer a distinct protection against maximal electroshock (MES)-induced tonic seizures in mice. The screening test was performed for 12 substances (i.e., arbutin, borneol, esculetin, esculin, ellagic acid, gallic acid, hesperidine, piperitol, piperonal, quercetin, thymoquinone and ursolic acid) administered intraperitoneally in a constant dose of 300 mg/kg at various pretreatment times (i.e., 15, 30, 60 and 120 min.) before the MES test. Results indicate that only borneol produced a 75% protection against MES-induced tonic seizures in mice, when administered i.p. at 15 min. prior to the MES test. Borneol administered i.p. at 30 min before the MES test protected a 37.5% of animals tested, whereas the compound administered i.p. at 60 min. prior to the test exerted barely a 12.5% protection against MES-induced tonic seizures. In contrast, borneol administered i.p. at 120 min. prior to the test produced no anticonvulsant activity in mice subjected to the MES test. The remaining substances tested in the mouse MES model (i.e., arbutin, esculetin, esculin, ellagic acid, gallic acid, hesperidine, piperitol, piperonal, quercetin and ursolic acid) exerted no or negligible anti-seizure activity after their i.p. administration to mice. In conclusion, borneol is worthy of consideration as a potentially favorable compound in epileptology, if the results from this study could be extrapolated into clinical settings.