Changes of glial-neuronal interaction and metabolism after a subconvulsive dose of pentylenetetrazole.

Pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) injection causes seizures in rodents and this is used in several models of epilepsy. In the present study a low dose (20 mg/kg) was injected into rats in order to analyze metabolic disturbances caused by subconvulsive amounts of PTZ. Intraperitoneal injection of PTZ was followed, 30 min later, by injection of [1-(13C)]glucose plus [1,2-(13C)]acetate and 15 min thereafter decapitation.

Pentylenetetrazole decreases metabolic glutamate turnover in rat brain.

Seizures were induced in rats by intraperitoneal injection of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ, 70 mg/kg), followed, 30 min later, by injection of [1-13C]glucose and [1,2-13C]acetate. Analyses of extracts from cortex, subcortex and cerebellum were performed using 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy and HPLC. It could be shown that PTZ affected different brain regions differently.