ABSTRACT

Paracetamol is a widely used analgesic and antipyretic agent. It has been reported that N-arachidonoyl-phenolamine, the active metabolite of paracetamol, reduces epilepsy by activating the endocannabinoid system in some models of experimental epilepsy. Diazepam is a benzodiazepine well known to have anticonvulsant effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different doses of paracetamol on penicillin-induced epileptiform activity (PIEA) in rats.

Rats anesthetized with urethane (1.25 g/kg, intraperitoneal) were placed in a stereotaxic frame. Body temperatures were maintained at 37°C by a heating blanket. An epileptic focus was produced by 500 IU Penicillin G (PGP) injection into the soma-motor cortex using a hole drilled into the cranium. Paracetamol (100, 150 and 300 mg/kg, respectively) and diazepam (5 mg/kg) were administered thirty minutes after PGP injection, and their effects on the epileptiform activity were examined comparatively. Electrocorticographic activity was monitored for two hours.

Intracortical injection of PGP (500 units) induced epileptiform activity in all groups of rats. Diazepam caused a statistical significant decrease in the epileptiform activity in the 40th minute after PGP injection. Paracetamol (100 mg/kg) application did not influence the PIEA (p>0.05). However, 150 and 300 mg/kg IV paracetamol had a statistically significant effect on the antiepileptic activity (p<0.001).a

The results of the present study indicated that 150 and 300 mg/kg doses of paracetamol had an effect on PIEA. Further studies are needed to understand the reasons for this effect.

Keywords: Acetaminophen, diazepam, epilepsy, paracetamol, penicillin