Involvement of nitrergic system in the anticonvulsant effect of the cannabinoid CB(1) agonist ACEA in the pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure in mice.

Abstract

Cannabinoid system plays a pivotal role in the seizure threshold modulation which is mainly mediated through activation of the cannabinoid CB(1) receptor. There is also several evidence of interaction between cannabinoid system and other neurotransmitters including nitric oxide (NO) system. Using model of clonic seizure induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) in male NMRI mice, we investigated whether NO is involved in the effects of cannabinoids on the seizure threshold. Injection of the selective cannabinoid CB(1) agonist ACEA (2mg/kg, i.p.) significantly (P<0.01) increased the seizure threshold which was prevented (P<0.001) by pretreatment with the selective CB(1) antagonist AM251 (1mg/kg, i.p.). The NO precursor l-arginine (50 and 100mg/kg, i.p.) potentiated the anticonvulsant effects of the sub-effective dose of ACEA (1mg/kg, i.p.). Pretreatment with non-effective doses of the non-specific NOS inhibitor l-NAME (15 and 30mg/kg, i.p.) and the specific neuronal NOS inhibitor 7-NI (40 and 80mg/kg, i.p.) but not the inducible NOS inhibitor aminoguanidine (10, 50 and 100mg/kg, i.p.) prevented the anticonvulsant effect of ACEA (2mg/kg, i.p.). Co-administration of non-effective dose of AM251 (0.5mg/kg) with both low and per se non-effective doses of l-NAME (1mg/kg, i.p.) and 7-NI (10mg/kg, i.p.) had significant (P<0.01) effect in preventing the anticonvulsant effect of ACEA (2mg/kg, i.p.). Our findings demonstrated that central NO system could be involved in the anticonvulsant properties of the specific cannabinoid CB(1) agonist ACEA, emphasizing on the interaction between two systems in the seizure modulation.

• Authors: Arash Bahremand, Sara Ebrahimi Nasrabady, Hamed Shafaroodi, Mehdi Ghasemi, Ahmad Reza Dehpour
• Journal: Epilepsy research (Epilepsy Res) Vol. 84 Issue 2-3 Pg. 110-9 (Apr 2009) ISSN: 1872-6844 [Electronic] Netherlands
• PMID: 19223154 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Anticonvulsants
• Arachidonic Acids
• Enzyme Inhibitors
• Piperidines
• Pyrazoles
• Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1
• arachidonyl-2-chloroethylamide
• Nitric Oxide
• AM 251
• Arginine
• NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester
• Pentylenetetrazole

Topics

• Analysis of Variance
• Animals
• Animals, Inbred Strains
• Anticonvulsants (pharmacology)
• Arachidonic Acids (pharmacology)
• Arginine (pharmacology)
• Brain (drug effects)
• Disease Models, Animal
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Drug Interactions
• Enzyme Inhibitors (pharmacology)
• Male
• Mice
• NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester (pharmacology)
• Nitric Oxide (metabolism)
• Pentylenetetrazole (pharmacology)
• Piperidines (pharmacology)
• Pyrazoles (pharmacology)
• Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 (agonists, antagonists & inhibitors)
• Seizures (chemically induced, prevention & control)