The Effect of Carbamazepine on Neuronal Damage in Pentylentetrazole Model of Seizure

Abstract

Introduction: Epilepsy is the most common disorder of the central nerves system. Studies showed that carbamazepine has anti-epileptic effects. However, there is no evidence whether carbamazepine protect seizure-induced neuronal injury. In this study, the effects of carbamazepine were evaluated on cell injury observed in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) model of seizure in the rat brain. Materials and Methods: The convulsive behaviour and histological evaluation were performed in age- and weight-matched rats, which were divided into five groups: 1.control group: without any intervention, 2. PTZ group: after PTZ injection (40 mg/ kg), 3. Sham group: vehicles were injected 30 min before PTZ injection (40 mg/ kg), 4. Treatment group 1: carbamazepine (10 mg/kg) was injected 30 min before PTZ injection, 5. Treatment group 2: carbamazepine (40 mg/kg) was injected 30 min before PTZ injection. Results: Carbamazepine significantly decreased production of the dark neurons in the hippocampal CA1 and CA3 areas and the temporal cortex after PTZ-induced seizure compared to PTZ and sham groups. Density of dark neurons in treatment groups was significantly higher than control group. Conclusion: The results showed that carbamazepine acts as a neuroprotective substance after seizure attacks.