The effect of subchronic supplementation with folic acid and l-arginine on homocysteine-induced seizures

A Rasic-Markovic; D Hrncic; D Krstic; M Colovic; E Djuric; B Rankov-Petrovic; V Susic; O Stanojlovic; D Djuric

doi:10.1139/cjpp-2016-0076

The effect of subchronic supplementation with folic acid and l-arginine on homocysteine-induced seizures

Can J Physiol Pharmacol. 2016 Oct;94(10):1083-1089. doi: 10.1139/cjpp-2016-0076. Epub 2016 Jun 22.

Authors

A Rasic-Markovic¹, D Hrncic¹, D Krstic², M Colovic³, E Djuric¹, B Rankov-Petrovic¹, V Susic⁴, O Stanojlovic¹, D Djuric¹

Affiliations

¹ a Institute of Medical Physiology "Richard Burian", Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
² b Institute of Medical Chemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.
³ c Department of Physical Chemistry, Institute of Nuclear Sciences "Vinča", University of Belgrade, M. Petrovic 12-14, P.O. Box 522, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
⁴ d Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.

PMID: 27494641
DOI: 10.1139/cjpp-2016-0076

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of subchronic co-administration of folic acid (F) and l-arginine (A) on behavioural and electroencephalographic (EEG) characteristics of dl homocysteine thiolactone (H) induced seizures in adult rats. The activity of membrane ATPases in different brain regions were also investigated. Rats were treated with F, A, or vehicle for 15 days (regimen: F 5 mg/kg + A 500 mg/kg (F5A500); F 10 mg/kg + A 300 mg/kg (F10A300)). Seizures were elicited by convulsive dose of H (H, F5A500H, F10A300H) Subchronic supplementation with F and A did not affect seizure incidence, number of seizure episodes, and severity in F5A500H and F10A300H groups vs. H group. However, a tendency to increase latency and decrease the number of seizure episodes was noticed in the F10A300H group. EEG mean spectral power densities during ictal periods were significantly lower in F10A300H vs. H group. The activity of Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and Mg²⁺-ATPase was significantly increased in almost all examined structures in rats treated with F and A. We can conclude that subchronic supplementation with folic acid and l-arginine has an antiepileptic effect in dl homocysteine thiolactone induced epilepsy.

Keywords: EEG; Mg2+-ATPase; Na+/K+-ATPase; acide folique; convulsions; dl homocysteine thiolactone; dl homocystéine thiolactone; folic acid; l-arginine; rats; seizures.