Inhibitory action of a calcium channel blocker (nimodipine) on seizures and brain damage induced by pilocarpine and lithium-pilocarpine in rats

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 235; no. 1; pp. 13 - 16
• Main Authors: Marinho, M.M.F, de Bruin, V.M.S, de Sousa, F.C.F, Aguiar, L.M.V, de Pinho, R.S.N, Viana, G.S.B
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 10.10.1997; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Atropine - therapeutic use; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Diseases - chemically induced; Brain Diseases - pathology; Brain Diseases - prevention & control; Calcium; Entorhinal cortex; Headache. Facial pains. Syncopes. Epilepsia. Intracranial hypertension. Brain oedema. Cerebral palsy; Hippocampus; Lithium; Male; Medical sciences; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Nimodipine; Nimodipine - therapeutic use; Pilocarpine; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Seizures - chemically induced; Seizures - prevention & control; Status Epilepticus - prevention & control; Striatum; Striatum; Calcium; Nimodipine; Entorhinal cortex; Lithium; Pilocarpine; Hippocampus; Nervous system diseases; Pathophysiology; Rat; Epilepsy; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Calcium antagonist; Cerebral disorder; Vertebrata; Experimental disease; Mammalia; Animal; Central nervous system disease; Brain (vertebrata)
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/S0304-3940(97)00687-3

The present work studied the effect of a calcium channel blocker (nimodipine) on rat behavioural changes and brain lesions observed after seizures induced by high doses of pilocarpine (400 mg/kg, s.c.; P400), and the association of lithium (3 mEq/kg, i.p., daily during 7 days) plus pilocarpine (a single dose of 15 mg/kg, s.c.) administered 24 h after the last injection of lithium. In the P400 model, nimodipine (5 or 10 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibited convulsions, status epilepticus, and significantly decreased the percentage of death and cerebral changes (Mann–Whitney, P=0.0057). In the lithium-pilocarpine (Li-Pi) induced seizures, nimodipine even increased convulsive action and did not interfere with brain lesions. The results suggested that a calcium channel mechanism is involved in the P400 induced seizures, and that there is a difference in the physiopathology of epileptic seizures and brain damage induced by either P400 and Li-Pi models.