3,4,5-Trimethoxycinnamic acid, one of the constituents of Polygalae Radix exerts anti-seizure effects by modulating GABAAergic systems in mice

• Main Authors: Chang-Yuan Chen, Xu-Dong Wei, Chang-Rui Chen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2016-05-01
• Series: Journal of Pharmacological Sciences
• Subjects: TMCA; Seizure; GABA receptor; Pentylenetetrazol; Flumazenil
• Online Access: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1347861315001413

Polygalae Radix is an important medicinal plant that is widely used in most of Africa. 3,4,5-Trimethoxycinnamic acid (TMCA) is one of the constituents of Polygalae Radix. Until now, the mechanisms involved in the anti-seizure property of TMCA are still unclear. We examined the anti-seizure effect of TMCA. TMCA administered at doses of 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg and evaluated anti-seizure effects by maximal electroshock (MES) and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) models in mice. TMCA administered at doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg significantly reduced the incidence of MES-induced tonic hindlimb extension (THE). TMCA significantly delayed the onset of myoclonic jerks (MJ), and decreased the seizure severity and mortality compared with the vehicle-treated animals in PTZ seizure model. TMCA 10 and 20 mg/kg treated groups also did not determined generalized clonic seizures (GCS). Pretreatment with a GABAA/benzodiazepine (BZ) receptor antagonist flumazenil blocked the anti-seizure effects of TMCA. These data support the further investigation of TMCA as a GABAA/BZ receptor agonist for anti-seizure therapy.