Diazepam in the prevention of seizures and death in cocaine-intoxicated rats

Rats were exposed to high-dose intraperitoneal cocaine. Pretreatment with diazepam was found to be highly effective in reducing observed seizures from 90% to 0% and reducing the incidence of death from 85% to 10%. Furthermore, diazepam treatment after cocaine exposure was also effective in decreasin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnnals of emergency medicine Vol. 18; no. 5; pp. 542 - 546
Main Authors Derlet, Robert W, Albertson, T.E.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01.05.1989
Elsevier
Subjects
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Cocaine - poisoning
cocaine, intoxication, experimental
Diazepam - administration & dosage
Diazepam - therapeutic use
diazepam, cocaine intoxication
Drug addictions
Electroencephalography
Male
Medical sciences
Rats
Rats, Inbred Strains
Seizures - chemically induced
Seizures - physiopathology
Seizures - prevention & control
Toxicology
cocaine, intoxication, experimental
diazepam, cocaine intoxication
Animal model
Drug abuse
Intraperitoneal administration
Rat
Rodentia
Prevention
Vertebrata
Mammalia
Convulsion
Benzodiazepine derivatives
Death
Cocaine
Pretreatment
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Summary:Rats were exposed to high-dose intraperitoneal cocaine. Pretreatment with diazepam was found to be highly effective in reducing observed seizures from 90% to 0% and reducing the incidence of death from 85% to 10%. Furthermore, diazepam treatment after cocaine exposure was also effective in decreasing deaths, from 80% to 21%, even when given after the onset of seizures. Although diazepam pretreatment was shown to prevent clinically overt seizures, cortical EEGs in these rats demonstrated a continuum of convulsantlike electrical activity Our study points to the protective effects of diazepam when given before or after cocaine exposure. Together, these data suggest that diazepam has significant efficacy against cocaine intoxication even though it does not totally suppress cocaineinduced cortical EEG seizure activity.
ISSN:0196-0644
1097-6760
DOI:10.1016/S0196-0644(89)80840-6