Effects of baicalin pre-treatment on pentylenetetrazole-induced seizures: Insights from zebrafish larvae locomotor behavior and neuronal calcium imaging

• Published in: Epilepsy & behavior Vol. 157; p. 109866
• Main Authors: Cintra, Laís, Yanicostas, Constantin, Soussi-Yanicostas, Nadia, Vianna Maurer-Morelli, Claudia
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.08.2024
• Subjects: Animals; Anticonvulsants - pharmacology; Baicalin; Calcium - metabolism; Calcium imaging; Convulsants - toxicity; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Flavonoids - pharmacology; Larva - drug effects; Locomotion - drug effects; Motor Activity - drug effects; Motor behavior; Neurons - drug effects; Pentylenetetrazole; Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) – induced epileptic seizure; Seizures - chemically induced; Seizures - drug therapy; Zebrafish; Motor behavior; BBB; ASMs; VPA; Calcium imaging; Zebrafish; BAI; ROI; OSLP; PTU; Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) – induced epileptic seizure; DRE; PTZ; DPF; WT; Baicalin; TCM; HPF
• ISSN: 1525-5050; 1525-5069; 1525-5069
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2024.109866

•Natural compounds are explored as neuroprotective agents for neurological diseases.•Baicalin shows anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and antioxidant effects.•The zebrafish PTZ-seizure model is used for phenotype-based drug screening.•Under the parameters used in this study, baicalin did not show anti-seizure effects.•Insights into optimal dosing and administration of baicalin in zebrafish larvae. Natural compounds are increasingly being studied for their potential neuroprotective effects against inflammatory neurological diseases. Epilepsy is a common neurological disease associated with inflammatory processes, and around 30% of people with epilepsy do not respond to traditional treatments. Some flavonoids, when taken along with antiseizure medications can help reduce the likelihood of drug-resistant epilepsy. Baicalin, a plant-based compound, has been shown to possess pharmacological properties such as anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, anticonvulsant, and antioxidant activities. In this study, we tested the effect of baicalin on an established model of pharmacologically induced seizure in zebrafish using measures of both locomotor behavior and calcium imaging of neuronal activity. The results of our study showed that, at the tested concentration, and contrary to other studies in rodents, baicalin did not have an anti-seizure effect in zebrafish larvae. However, given its known properties, other concentrations and approaches should be explored to determine if it could potentially have other beneficial effects, either alone or when administered in combination with classic antiseizure medications.