The Anticonvulsant Activity of a Flavonoid-Rich Extract from Orange Juice Involves both NMDA and GABA-Benzodiazepine Receptor Complexes.

The usage of dietary supplements and other natural products to treat neurological diseases has been growing over time, and accumulating evidence suggests that flavonoids possess anticonvulsant properties. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a flavonoid-rich extract from orange juice (OJe) in some rodent models of epilepsy and to explore its possible mechanism of action. The genetically audiogenic seizures (AGS)-susceptible DBA/2 mouse, the pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in ICR-CD1 mice and the WAG/Rij rat as a genetic model of absence epilepsy with comorbidity of depression were used.

Everolimus improves memory and learning while worsening depressive- and anxiety-like behavior in an animal model of depression.

Everolimus (EVR) is an orally-administered rapamycin analog that selectively inhibits the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase (mainly mTORC1 and likely mTORC2) and the related signaling pathway. mTOR is a serine/threonine protein kinase regulating multiple important cellular functions; dysfunction of mTOR signaling has also been implicated in the pathophysiology of several neurological, neurodegenerative, developmental and cognitive disorders. EVR is widely used as an anti-neoplastic therapy and more recently in children with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC).

Comparative analysis of the treatment of chronic antipsychotic drugs on epileptic susceptibility in genetically epilepsy-prone rats.

Antipsychotic drugs (APs) are of great benefit in several psychiatric disorders, but they can be associated with various adverse effects, including seizures. To investigate the effects of chronic antipsychotic treatment on seizure susceptibility in genetically epilepsy-prone rats, some APs were administered for 7 weeks, and seizure susceptibility (audiogenic seizures) was evaluated once a week during treatment and for 5 weeks after drug withdrawal. Furthermore, acute and subchronic (5-day treatment) effects were also measured.

Long-term betamethasone 21-phosphate disodium treatment has distinct effects in CD1 and DBA/2 mice on animal behavior accompanied by opposite effects on neurogenesis.

One of the most peculiar characteristics of the stress response is the pronounced inter-individual and inter-strain variability both in behavioral and neurochemical outcomes. Several studies confirm that rodents belonging to the same or different strain and/or gender, when exposed to a stressor, may show behavioral and cognitive differences. We compared the effects of long-term betamethasone 21-phosphate disodium (BTM), a widely clinically used corticosteroid, on animal behavior and neurogenesis in CD1 and DBA/2 mice.

Protective effects of some statins on epileptogenesis and depressive-like behavior in WAG/Rij rats, a genetic animal model of absence epilepsy.

Objective: Statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A [HMG-CoA] reductase inhibitors) exert cholesterol-independent pleiotropic effects that include antithrombotic, antiinflammatory, and antioxidative properties. Moreover, both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown neuroprotective, antiseizure, and antiexcitotoxic effects of statins, suggesting their potential role in the treatment of neurologic diseases. Only a few studies have investigated whether statins modulate absence seizure activity and epileptogenesis.

Niosomes from glucuronic acid-based surfactant as new carriers for cancer therapy: preparation, characterization and biological properties.

Niosomes are vesicular systems composed of surfactant molecules, claimed to be used as drug delivery carriers thanks to their physico-chemical and biological properties. The aim of this work was to design niosomes obtained with a surfactant synthesized from glucuronic acid. Doxorubicin and 5FU were used as model drugs.

Targeting α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptors in epilepsy.

Introduction: Despite epilepsies being between the oldest and most studied neurological diseases, new treatment remains an unmet need of scientific research due to the high percentage of refractory patients. Several studies have identified new suitable anti-seizure targets. Glutamate activation of α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptors (AMPARs) have long ago been identified as suitable targets for the development of anti seizure drugs.

Informatics applied to pharmacovigilance: Future perspectives.

Spontaneous adverse drugs reaction (ADRs) reporting represents a precious resource for control and information about the drug's safety and pharmacovigilance. The current reporting system is mainly based on handwritten forms and later manually loaded into a national electronic database by few local pharmacovigilance centers. This reporting system is complicated for both reporters and pharmacovigilance centers which often avoid reporting ADRs for several reasons such as the lack of data on the report.

Vertigo/dizziness as a Drugs' adverse reaction.

Introduction: Vertigo, dizziness, and nausea encompass a spectrum of balance-related symptoms caused by a variety of etiologies. Balance is affected by many systems: Proprioceptive pathways and visual, cerebellar, vestibulocochlear, and vascular / vasovagal systems. Vertigo is a subtype of dizziness, in which a subject, as a result to a dysfunction of the vestibular system, improperly experiments the perception of motion.

Lamotrigine positively affects the development of psychiatric comorbidity in epileptic animals, while psychiatric comorbidity aggravates seizures.

Several clinical and preclinical studies have focused on the relationship between epilepsy and psychological disturbances. Although behavior in some experimental models of epilepsy has been studied, only few of them can be considered as models of epilepsy and mood disorder comorbidity. Since several models of epilepsy or psychiatric disorders are already available, we wondered whether a mixture of the two could experimentally represent a valid alternative to study such comorbidity.