Preliminary evaluation of melatonin in the kindling model of epilepsy

During the past decades, epilepsy syndrome has been depicted across India as well as worldwide and this leads to increasing mortality and morbidity rate. Researchers are trying to investigate the responsible causes and risk factors for seizure occurrence. Epilepsy is a chronic disorder which is derived from a Latin word ‘sacire’ meaning ‘convulsive attack’ and is expressed as a paroxysmal experience appointed to atypical, unnecessary or concurrent neuronal bustle in the brain. The treatment of epilepsy involves the use of anti-epileptic drugs i.e. Sodium valproate, phenytoin, carbamazepine. Despite being treated with the available anti-convulsant drugs, this disease is still prevalent worldwide. So, as an adjuvant treatment melatonin exhibit an anti-epileptic activity in several animal models of epilepsy. However, its anti-epileptic potential has yet to be evaluated in Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) induced model of epilepsy through kindling phenomenon. Rats were injected with a dose of (35-55 mg/kg) of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) up to twenty days in alternate days. Observed the convulsive behavior of rats for thirty minutes immediately after PTZ injection.  The entire treatment schedule includes the administration of melatonin (75 mg/kg) one hour prior to the PTZ administration. Sodium valproate was used as standard drug for this kindling model of epilepsy. Keywords: Pentylenetetrazole, Melatonin, Sodium valproate, Gamma-amino butyric aci