Anticonvulsive effects of carbenoxolone on penicillin-induced epileptiform activity: an in vivo study

Epilepsy is an important problem in neurological disorders. Recent studies claimed that gap junctions have a critical role in epileptic neuronal events. The aim of present study is to investigate the effects of gap junction blocker carbenoxolone on penicillin-induced experimental epilepsy. For this purpose, 4-month-old male Wistar rats were used in the present study. Permanent screw electrodes allowing EEG monitoring from conscious animals and permanent cannula providing the administration of the substances to the brain ventricle were placed into the cranium of rats under general anesthesia. At the end of the postoperative recovery period, epileptiform activity was generated by injecting 300 IU crystallized penicillin through the ventricular cannula. Epileptiform activity monitored from a digital recording system, when it reached its maximum intensity, carbenoxolone (100, 200, 500 nmol) was applied in the same way with penicillin. Effects of carbenoxolone on epileptiform activity were assessed by both electrophysiological and behavioral analysis. Carbenoxolone suppressed epileptiform activity by decreasing the amplitude and frequency of epileptiform spikes and by attenuating the epileptiform behavior. The results of this study suggest that the blockade of electrical synapses may contribute to the prevention and amelioration of epileptic activity.