engleski

Influence of nicardipine on the brain free fatty acids level in penicillin-induced seizures in rats

Enhanced neuronal activity during epileptic discharge increases the concentration of the free fatty acids (FFAs) in the brain. This biochemical disorder is caused by the increase in the intracellular calcium concentration, the activation of membrane phospholipases C and A2, and by degradation of membrane phospholipids. FFAs have dentrimental effects on cell membranes. Accumulation of their metabolites causes further intracellular brain damage. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the calcium channel blocker, nicardipine, on the FFAs level in chemically induced seizures in rats. The study was carried out on Hannover-Wistar rats. Animals were anaesthetized and placed in a stereotaxic apparatus. Each of them received an injection of penicillin (500 U/mL( into the left lateral ventricle. Various doses of nicardipine (1 ; 3 ; 10 or 30 mg/kg i.p.) had been injected 30 minutes before the penicillin application. The rats were decapitated five minutes after the occurence of epileptic seizures. FFAs were quantified by gas chromatography using the internal standard method. The results demonstrate that: a) i.c.v. injection of penicillin produced significant increase in the brain FFAs concentration, and b) nicardipine, in the tested doses, did not prevent with statistical significance the accumulation of the brain FFAs in the rats with penicillin-induced seizures.

epilepsy; brain; free fatty acids; nicardipine

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