Suppression of penicillin-induced epileptiform activity by Nigella sativa : Possible mediation by neurotransmitters
TL;DR: It is suggested that chronic administration of NS protects PCN-induced generalized epilepsy by selectively altering the monoamine level in different brain regions by selectively changing the serotonin and dopamine level in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum.
Abstract: Nigella sativa (NS), an endogenous plant of family Ranunculaceae, exhibits a wide range of biological activity. This report explores the effect of aqueous extract of NS seeds on penicillin-(PCN-100 IU in 100 μl) induced epileptic rat model. Oral pretreatment of NS (250 mg/kg) suppressed PCN-induced seizure considerably, reduced spike-wave discharges and occurrence of generalized tonic–clonic seizures. Electroencephalographic data showed NS pretreatment to experimental animals elicited 85% abolition of high voltage spike discharges. NS pretreatment resulted in elevation of serotonin (5-HT) level and decreased dopamine (DA) level in cerebral cortex (CC), cerebellum (CB), caudate nucleus (CN) and midbrain (MB). A significant decrease in norepinephrine (NE) level was observed only in the CC. The present study suggests that chronic administration of NS protects PCN-induced generalized epilepsy by selectively altering the monoamine level in different brain regions. The seizure abolition observed in the NS pretreated rats was comparable to the anticonvulsive pattern exhibited by diazepam. The results suggest that NS has promising anticonvulsant action.
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TL;DR: The water extract of Nigella sativa L. has antiepileptic effects in children with refractory seizures and the mean frequency of seizures decreased significantly during treatment with extract.
Abstract: Summary Background: Despite the availability and use of numerous antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), nearly 15% of childhood epilepsy cases are resistant to treatment. However, in traditional medicine, Nigella Sativa L. (“black cumin seed”) has been known for its anticonvulsant effects. This plant is naturally distributed in Iran and has been widely used as a natural remedy for a long time. In this study the effi cacy of this agent in reducing the frequency of seizures in childhood refractory epilepsy was assessed. Material/Methods: In this double-blinded crossover clinical trial conducted on children with refractory epilepsy, the aqueous extract of black seed was administered as an adjunct therapy and the effects were compared with those of a placebo. Twenty-three children were entered in the study and 20 remained in the study (13 months to 13 years old, 10 boys and 10 girls). All patients were receiving constant treatment for at least one month before the study. They received extract (40 mg/kg/8 h) or placebo for a period of four weeks and between these periods for two weeks they received only their pre-existing anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs). Results: The mean frequency of seizures decreased signifi cantly during treatment with extract (p<0.05). Conclusions: It can be concluded that the water extract of Nigella sativa L. has antiepileptic effects in children with refractory seizures.
64 citations
TL;DR: It is uncovered that the majority of therapeutic properties of this plant are due to the presence of thymoquinone (TQ) which is a major bioactive component of the essential oil.
Abstract: Nigella sativa (NS) (Ranunculaceae family) is generally utilized as a therapeutic plant all over the world. The seeds of the plant have a long history of use in different frameworks of medicines and food. In Islamic literature, it is considered as one of the greatest forms of therapeutics. It has been widely used to treat nervous system diseases such as memory impairment, epilepsy, neurotoxicity, pain, etc. Additionally, this is uncovered that the majority of therapeutic properties of this plant are due to the presence of thymoquinone (TQ) which is a major bioactive component of the essential oil. Pharmacological studies have been done to evaluate the effects of NS on the central nervous system (CNS). The present review is an effort to provide a detailed scientific literature survey about pharmacological activities of the plant on nervous system. Our literature review showed that NS and its components can be considered as promising agents in the treatment of nervous system disorders.
48 citations
Cites background from "Suppression of penicillin-induced e..."
...It was demonstrated that NS extract impairs motor coordination, decreases locomotor activity but increases sleeping time (Guha et al., 2005)....
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TL;DR: Investigation of the effect of curcumin and Nigella sativa oil on amino acid neurotransmitter alterations and the histological changes induced by pilocarpine in the hippocampus and cortex of rats found it necessary to suggest its use as an anticonvulsant.
47 citations
Cites background from "Suppression of penicillin-induced e..."
...This anticonvulsant effect is a consequence of selectively altering the monoamine level in different brain regions [30]....
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TL;DR: In vitro findings support the hypothesis that the sedative and depressive effects of NS observed in vivo could be based on changes of inhibitory/excitatory amino acids levels.
Abstract: Nigella sativa L. (NS) has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times. This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity of NS dry methanolic extract on cultured cortical neurons and its influence on neurotransmitter release, as well as the presence of excitatory (glutamate and aspartate) and inhibitory amino acids (gamma-aminobutyric acid—GABA—and glycine) in NS extract. Cultured rat cortical neurons were exposed to different times and concentrations of NS dry methanolic extract and cell viability was then determined by a quantitative colorimetric method. NS did not induce any toxicity. The secretion of different amino acids was studied in primary cultured cortical neurons by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using a derivation before injection with dansyl chloride. NS modulated amino acid release in cultured neurons; GABA was significantly increased whereas secretion of glutamate, aspartate, and glycine were decreased. The in vitro findings support the hypothesis that the sedative and depressive effects of NS observed in vivo could be based on changes of inhibitory/excitatory amino acids levels.
43 citations
Cites background from "Suppression of penicillin-induced e..."
...This anticonvulsant effect is a consequence of selectively altering the monoamine level in different brain regions [14]....
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...Recent findings suggest that NS protects from induced generalized epilepsy in rats by selectively altering the monoamine level in different brain regions [14]....
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TL;DR: It could be concluded that the treatment with the therapeutic dose of CFX 14 days could lead to the development of seizures through the reduction of monoamines level and decreasing the activity of AChE in the tested brain areas.
Abstract: This study aimed to investigate the Nigella sativa seed (NS) neuroprotective effect on ciprofloxacin (CFX) antibiotic with suggesting neurotoxic effect in rats through the determination of monoamines levels and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in different brain areas. We used valporic acid as a reference antiepileptic drug and pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), a drug used for induction of epileptic model in rats. The present data revealed that the daily oral administration of NS (350 mg/kg b.wt.) for 14 days caused significant increase in the monoamines contents with no statistical difference in AChE as compare to control values. While the administration of CFX (500 mg/kg b.wt.) and/or PTZ (60 mg/kg b.wt.) was found to produce significant decrease in the concentration of monoamines and the activity of AChE in cerebral cortex, cerebellum, striatum and hippocampus after 7 and 14 days. Moreover, the pre- and post-treatment with NS in CFX and/or PTZ treated rats was found to ameliorate most of the side effects induced by these drugs. It could be concluded that the treatment with the therapeutic dose of CFX 14 days could lead to the development of seizures through the reduction of monoamines level and decreasing the activity of AChE in the tested brain areas. The administration of N. sativa pre- and the post treatment to CFX and/or PTZ treated rats were found to ameliorate their side effects. Suggesting that N. sativa seeds with antiepileptic activity and its administration could alleviate ciprofloxacin neurotoxicity.
Key words: Ciprofloxacin, Pentylenetetrazole, Nigella sativa; monoamines, acetylcholinesterase.
16 citations
Cites result from "Suppression of penicillin-induced e..."
...…investigated brain areas throughout the experimental days, these findings reflect the potent antiepileptic efficiency of N. sativa as suggested by Guha et al. (2005), Ilhan et al. (2005) and Ezz et al. (2011), where, Ilhan et al. (2005) reported that the neurotransmitter receptor-mediated…...
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