Ketamine reduces lethality on the acute ammonia intoxication in mice / La ketamina reduce la letalidad de la intoxicación aguda producida por amonio en ratones

ABSTRACT

Injection of large doses of ammonia (1.2 g/kg, i.p.) was used to induce acute toxicity in mice which was characterized by hyperresponsivenes, taquipnea, clonic and tonic seizures and dealth. Pretreatment with 20,40, or 80 mg/kg i.p. of ketamine increased 30 to 55 per cent survival rate. This pretreatment significantly retarded the beginning of the first tonic convulsió attenuating its intensity and delayed the time of the animal death; but did not alter onset of the first clonic seizures. These experiments may be an evidence that support the hypothesis that seizures due to hyperammonemia involve activation of excitatory amino acid receptors