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Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology)  2009, Vol. 10 Issue (4): 317-322    DOI: 10.1631/jzus.B0820316
Biomedicine     
Anticonvulsant and hypnotic effects of amiodarone
Gunnur OZBAKIS-DENGIZ, Aysegul BAKIRCI
Department of Pharmacology, Medical Faculty, Karaelmas University, 67 600 Zonguldak, Turkey; Department of Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology, Public Hospitals, 16 700 Karacabey-Bursa, Turkey
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Abstract  Amiodarone hydrochloride is a potent anti-arrhythmic agent, known as a multiple ion-channel blocker in the heart. Although it has been detected in the rat brain, there are no data related to its central nervous system (CNS) effects. In this study, we evaluated anticonvulsant and hypnotic effects of amiodarone. Convulsions were induced by phentylenetetrazole (PTZ) (100 mg/kg) or caffeine (300 mg/kg) in mice. In both models, amiodarone prolonged both latency period and time to death, and acted as an anticonvulsant drug. It was found to be more effective in the PTZ model than in the caffeine model; none of the animals treated with 150 mg/kg dose amiodarone had died in the PTZ model. For hypnotic effect, sleeping was induced with pentobarbital (35 mg/kg) in rats. Amiodarone dose-dependently increased the sleeping time (677.7%~725.9%). In the sleeping test, all rats in 200 mg/kg amiodarone group died. In conclusion, anticonvulsant and hypnotic effects of amiodarone have shown the depressant effects on CNS. These effects may be dependent on its pharmacological properties.

Key wordsAmiodarone      Phentylenetetrazole (PTZ)      Caffeine      Convulsion      Sleeping     
Received: 09 October 2008     
CLC:  R9  
Cite this article:

Gunnur OZBAKIS-DENGIZ, Aysegul BAKIRCI. Anticonvulsant and hypnotic effects of amiodarone. Journal of Zhejiang University-SCIENCE B (Biomedicine & Biotechnology), 2009, 10(4): 317-322.

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http://www.zjujournals.com/xueshu/zjus-b/10.1631/jzus.B0820316     OR     http://www.zjujournals.com/xueshu/zjus-b/Y2009/V10/I4/317

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