ANTICONVULSANT ACTIVITY OF CASIMIROA-EDULIS IN COMPARISON TO PHENYTOIN AND PHENOBARBITAL

An aqueous extract of Casimiroa edulis leaves was tested in adult male Wistar rats for anticonvulsant activity utilizing two models of exper imental epilepsy: maximal electroshock seizure (MES) and subcutaneousl y injected metrazole (METsc). Single dose of 100 mg/kg C. edulis vacuu m dried aqueous extracts (VDA) orally administered to experimental ani mals elicited 50% and 70% abolition of MES and METsc-induced seizures, respectively. Two firmly established antiepileptic drugs in human the rapy, phenytoin (PHT) and phenobarbital (PB), abolished 90% of MES-ind uced seizures, whereas an 80% and 100% absence of clonic seizures was attained in METsc test, correspondingly. The seizure abolition observe d in C. edulis VDA treated rats was comparable with the anticonvulsive pattern exhibited by PHT and PB. These results suggest that potencial ly antiepileptic compounds are present in C. edulis extracts that dese rve the study of their identity and mechanism of action.