Anticonvulsant Activity of trans-Anethole in Mice

Abstract

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder affecting 1-2% of world population, and one-third of patients are refractory to pharmacological treatment. This fact has stimulated research for new antiepileptic drugs and natural products have been an important source. trans-Anethole (TAN) is a phenylpropanoid, component of some essential oils, extracted from plants, and its effects have been little studied. Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the TAN effect in classic seizure models and evaluate the electroencephalographic (EEG) profile of animals treated with this substance. For this, Swiss male mice (Mus musculus) were used, and the lethal dose was evaluated and subsequently submitted to the test maximal electroshock (MES), the pentylenetetrazole- (PTZ) induced seizure test, and the EEG profile. Initially, the LD50 for TAN was estimated in 1000 mg/kg (i.p.) dose and there was no sign of acute toxicity or death. In the MES test, TAN 300, i.p. ( 12.00 ± 2.9 s) and 400 mg/kg, i.p. ( 9.00 ± 4.4 s) doses was able to decrease tonic seizures duration induced by electric discharge (0.5 mA, 150 pulses/s, for 0.5 s). In the PTZ test (75 mg/kg, i.p.), TAN 400 mg/kg, i.p. increased the latency to myoclonic jerks (80.0 (56.0–134.0)), the latency totonic-clonic seizures (900.0 (861.0–900.0) and decrease seizure duration (0.0 (0.0–10.0)). No deaths were found in this groups compared to vehicle. EEG analysis showed an amplitude decrease of waves (ratio of baseline) in TAN 300 ( 1.82 ± 0.23 ) and 400 mg/kg ( 1.06 ± 0.16 ) groups. In this way, TAN at 400 mg/kg was able to inhibit and/or attenuate seizures by increasing the time for the onset of spasms and convulsions, as reducing the duration of seizures. The EEG profile corroborate with this results showing a reduction in the amplitude of waves compared to the PTZ group. Thus, TAN showed an anticonvulsant effect in all experimental models performed, behavioral and electroencephalographic.

Anethole via increase in the gene expression of PI3K/AKT/mTOR mitigates the autistic-like behaviors induced by maternal separation stress in mice

“…Anethole (1-methoxy-4-propenylbenzen) is a natural component found in plants like anise, fennel, and dill ( Yu et al, 2022 ). Previous studies have been reported various pharmacological effects for anethole including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive and antiepileptic properties ( da Guedes et al, 2022 , Kang et al, 2013 , Ritter et al, 2013 , Ghasemi-Dehnoo et al, 2022 , Pandit et al, 2022 ). Previous studies have been demonstrated that anethole possessed neuroprotective effects in various neurological disorders ( Vastegani et al, 2023 , Chang et al, 2022 , Salimian et al, 2022 , Raman et al, 2020 ).…”

Sinapic Acid Mitigates Pentylenetetrazol-induced Acute Seizures By Modulating the NLRP3 Inflammasome and Regulating Calcium/calcineurin Signaling: In Vivo and In Silico Approaches

“…Various studies have postulated that several etiologies are involved in the pathophysiology of seizures. A disturbed balance between neuronal excitation and inhibition (glutamate/γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) equilibrium) plays a major role in seizure development [5][6][7]. Glutamate and GABA transmission can curb the release and/or uptake of other neurotransmitters, affecting neuronal network activity and maintaining normal balance at the cellular level [8].…”