EFFECTS OF PHENOBARBITAL ON SPATIAL LEARNING AND HIPPOCAMPAL NNOS
MRNA IN EPILEPTIC RATS
ChenYH1, Wang L2
1 Dept. of Pediatrics, Union
Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, China
2 Dept. of Pediatrics, 1st Teaching
Hospital of Beijing University, Bejing, China
Objective:
To study the effects of phenobarbital (PB) on cognition in epileptic
rats and involvement of NO signal pathway.
Methods:
To investigate the effects of PB on spatial learning and the expression
of nNOSmRNA in kainic acid (KA) rat model by Water maze test and RT-PCR,
respectively.
Results:
PB (60mg/kg, ip.) had exactly antiepileptic effects on KA-treated rats
and no effects on the spatial cognition in the normal rats. But the
KA-treated rats after PB administration showed more severe cognitive
dysfunction than those without PB injection. The hippocampal nNOS mRNA
expression was increased in rats with PB or KA treated. PB and KA had
synergetic effects on nNOS mRNA expression. Lower dosage of 7-NI
(10mg/kg,ip.) could decreased the nNOS mRNA lever and attenuate effectively
cognitive disorders by PB (60mg/kg, ip.) in the rats with seizures.
Conclusion:
NO signal pathway involved the effects of PB on cognitive function in
KA model.