Background and Objectives: nimodipine is dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker widely used as a verity cardiovascular ailment. A number of studies have been shown that calcium channel blockers have anticonvulsant effect in a range of animal seizure models (but not all animals). The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of nimodipine on pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) -induced seizure threshold in mice.
Methods: Mice were pretreated intraperitoneally with nimodipine (0.5, 1, 2.5, 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg) 30 minute before the determination of the intravenously PTZ-induced seizure threshold.
Results: Our results showed that the PTZ-seizure threshold was 32.5 0.78 in control group. In animals pretreated with nimodipine the PTZ seizure threshold dose dependently increased significantly (P<0.05).
Conclusion: our results suggest that nimodipine possess anticonvulsant activity probably via an antagonism effect of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels.