Resumo

DALO, Nelson L; SOSA-SEQUERA, Miriam C  e  USUBILLAGA, Alfredo. On the anticonvulsant activity of kaurenic acid. Invest. clín [online]. 2007, vol.48, n.3, pp.349-358. ISSN 2477-9393.

Kaurenic acid [(-)-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid] is a diterpene isolated from the aerial parts of Espeletia semiglobulata, one of 85 species of Espeletiinae found in Venezuela. Its anticonvulsive activity was studied using two different models of experimental seizures: spinal seizures induced by sudden cooling (SSSC) in amphibians and seizures induced by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) in mice. In SSSC, kaurenic acid (KA) inhibited the tonic hind-limb extension with an ED50 of 2.5 mg/kg. It was 4-fold more potent than known anticonvulsant drugs such as carbamazepine and phenytoin and 100-fold more potent than valproic acid. However, KA as well as valproic acid were ineffective against the clonic phase of SSSC. In the PTZ-induced seizures, KA at doses of 0.625 and 1.25 mg/kg increased the latency of seizure onset and protected against generalized clonic-tonic seizures by 45% and 65%, respectively. The sedative effects of KA had an ED50 of 8.5 mg/kg in mice and 75 mg/kg in amphibians. This work provides experimental evidence supporting the potential value of kaurenic acid as an anticonvulsive drug.

Palavras-chave : Diterpenes; kaurenic acid; seizure; anticonvulsant; sudden cooling.

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