ANTIEPILEPTOGENIC EFFECTS OF THE NOVEL SYNTHETIC NEUROACTIVE STEROID,GANAXOLONE, AGAINST PENTYLENETETRAZOL-INDUCED KINDLED SEIZURES - COMPARISON WITH DIAZEPAM AND VALPROATE

Pharmacological treatment of epilepsy is often unsatisfactory due to s ide effects and the lack of drugs that control the progressive epilept ogenic process. Modulation of inhibitory gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA )-ergic neurotransmission by synthetic agonists of the neuroactive ste roid binding site on the GABAA receptor complex is one approach toward the identification of improved antiepileptic agents. In this study, a ntiepileptogenic and anticonvulsive effects of the novel synthetic neu roactive steroid, ganaxolone (3 alpha-hydroxy-3 beta-methyl-5 alpha-pi egnan-20-one) were evaluated in comparison with diazepam and valproate against pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced kindled seizures in mice. Kin dled seizures provide a model of the progressive epileptogenic process . Successive administration of 45 mg/kg PTZ on days 1, 3, 5, 8, and 10 resulted in the rapid development of kindled seizures and significant reductions in thresholds for clonic convulsions, tonic convulsions, a nd lethality induced by PTZ on day 10. Ganaxolone, diazepam, and valpr oate dose-dependently protected against clonic convulsions induced by acute submaximal dose of PTZ (70 mg/kg). The compounds also dose-depen dently suppressed fully kindled seizures and blocked the expression of kindled seizures over successive treatments with PTZ (45 mg/kg). Rela tive to acute anticonvulsive potencies against 70 mg/kg PTZ, however, ganaxolone was more potent than valproate or diazepam against fully ki ndled seizures and in blocking the expression of kindled seizures over successive treatments with PTZ. Importantly, only ganaxolone demonstr ated antiepileptogenic activity by blocking the development of kindlin g, as evidenced when PTZ was administered in the absence of anticonvul sant treatments. Both diazepam and valproate failed to prevent develop ment of kindled seizures even at doses that fully suppressed motor exp ression of seizures during kindling acquisition.Unlike diazepam and va lproate, ganaxolone did not impair ambulatory activity within the dose range used in this study. These data, taken in conjunction with other findings on the unique pharmacological actions of ganaxolone, predict an improvement in the pharmacological management of epilepsy with thi s synthetic neuroactive steroid. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.