| Abstract: | The present study investigated the anticonvulsant profile of Withania somnifera (W.s) in a lithium-pilocarpine model of status epilepticus (SE) in rats. Acute treatment with the root extract of W.s prolonged the latency to forelimb clonus but failed to protect against mortality. Acute pretreatment with W.s root extract enhanced the antiepileptic effect of diazepam and clonazepam. Rats chronically administered W.s (100, 200 mg/kg, p.o. × 7 d), when subjected to lithium-pilocarpine challenge showed a reduced mortality rate. Electrophysiological data further support the behavioural findings, as the root extract brought about a parallel change in seizure activity as paroxysmal spike activity appeared only from the 60 min record. Moreover, the seizure activity seemed to subside by 4 h in comparison with the control. The protective effect of the root extract appears to involve GABAergic mediation. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
