Anticonvulsant activity of melatonin against seizures induced by quinolinate, kainate, glutamate, NMDA, and pentylenetetrazole in mice

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Abstract
Melatonin was tested in an ongoing attempt to find the endogenous antagonists of quinolinic acid, an endogenous convulsant. Among a great number of metabolites that have been tried before, only a few were found (cerulein and quinaldic acid in mice and kynurenic acid in rats). In SHR (bred from Swiss) male mice, intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) pretreatment with melatonin (1.25–10.0 μg) attenuated (in the descending order of potency) the convulsant effect of i.c.v. administered kainate, quinolinate, glutamate, N-methyl-D-aspartate, and pentylenetetrazole. Melatonin was ineffective against i.p. administered pentylenetetrazole. Systemically (intraperitoneal, i.p.) administered melatonin (12.5–100.0 mg/kg) attenuated the convulsant effect of quinolinate, while the action of other convulsants used remained unaltered. It is suggested that melatonin could be tried against grand ma1 seizures in epileptic patients.