The synthesis of prostaglandins and thromboxane in the mouse brain in vivo

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Abstract
The i.v. administration of convulsant doses of pentetrazole or picrotoxin induced an increase in PGF2α, PGE2 and TXB2-like immunoreactive material in mouse brain tissue. The onset of increase coincided with the appearance of clonic seizures. The anticonvulsant drugs trimethadione and diazepam reduced both convulsions and increase of the above arachidonic acid metabolites induced by pentetrazole or picrotoxin. In synaptosomal preparations of the brain, neither pentetrazole (10−3 mol l−1) picrotoxin (10−4 mol l−1) nor trimethadione (5×10−4 mol l−1) had any influence on cyclooxygenase activity as indicated by the unimpaired PGF2α-synthesis. Under hypoxic conditions at equal durations as the seizures, the formation of PGF2α and PGE2 was less than 10% of the amount occurring after pentetrazole-induced convulsions. It is concluded that the seizure-induced rise of PGF2α, PGE2 and TXB2 is the result of increased central nervous activity.