ABSTRACT
A series of novel spiroimidazolidinone derivatives 6a-d and 8a-x were synthesized and biologically evaluated for their anticonvulsant activity in the maximal electroshock seizure (MES) assay and the subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ) screening test. Compound 8w was the most active derivative in the scPTZ screening test with an ED50 value by about 5- and 83.6-fold lower than those of phenobarbital and ethosuximide as reference drugs, respectively. Most of the tested compounds exhibited moderate to weak activity in the MES screen test, except for 8a which displayed 100% protection at 0.09 mmol/kg. Moreover, all the test compounds did not show any minimal motor impairment in the neurotoxicity test.
Subject(s)
Anticonvulsants/chemical synthesis , Anticonvulsants/pharmacology , Drug Design , Imidazoles/chemical synthesis , Imidazoles/pharmacology , Seizures/prevention & control , Animals , Anticonvulsants/toxicity , Behavior, Animal , Brain/drug effects , Brain/physiopathology , Disease Models, Animal , Electroshock , Imidazoles/toxicity , Male , Mice , Molecular Structure , Motor Activity/drug effects , Pentylenetetrazole , Seizures/chemically induced , Seizures/physiopathology , Structure-Activity RelationshipABSTRACT
Diabetic neuropathy is the most common chronic complication of diabetes. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the protective effects of curcumin against neuropathy in gliclazide-treated diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (45 mg/kg). Diabetic animals were given gliclazide (10 mg/kg, orally) alone or combined with curcumin (100 mg/kg, orally) or gabapentin (30 mg/kg, intraperitoneally as a positive control). Behavioral responses to thermal (hot plate and tail flick) and mechanical (tail pinch) pain, and some biochemical tests (serum glucose, C-peptide, peroxynitrite, lipid peroxides, and tumor necrosis factor-α) were assessed after 5 consecutive weeks of daily treatment. Combined treatment of curcumin with gliclazide significantly increased hot-plate and tail-flick latencies in comparison with that of the diabetic control group. The threshold of mechanical hyperalgesia was also significantly elevated. Serum glucose and C-peptide levels were significantly increased in the combined treatment compared with the diabetic control group, whereas serum levels of peroxynitrite, lipid peroxide, and tumor necrosis factor-α production were significantly decreased. The data suggest that the combination of curcumin with gliclazide may protect against the development of diabetic neuropathy, with favorable effects with respect to the gliclazide/gabapentin combination.
