فهرست نشریات علمی دسترسی آزاد ایران

Background: In humans, convulsive diseases such as temporal lobe epilepsy are usually accompanied by learning and memoryimpairments. In recent years, the role of gap junction channels as an important target of antiepileptic drugs has been studied anddiscussed. Quinine, as a gap junction blocker of connexin 36, can abolish ictal epileptiform activity in brain slices.Objectives: The role of quinine in memory retrieval in pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-kindled rats was examined using a step-throughpassive avoidance task.Methods: Forty rats were used in this experimental study in groups of 10 animals. Quinine (15, 30, and 60 mg/kg, i.p.) and PTZ (35mg/kg, i.p.) were injected into the rats before the start of the learning test. Then, retention tests were conducted after the treatmentsended.Results: Quinine could attenuate seizure severity at doses of 15, 30 and 60 mg/kg compared with the control at the beginning of thekindling experiment by lowering the mean seizure stages (P < 0.01, P < 0.001, P < 0.001). Quinine at doses of 15 and 30 mg/kg couldsignificantly increase memory retrieval compared with the control in the retention test 24 and 48 hours after training (P < 0.05).Quinine at a dose of 60 mg/kg increased latency to enter the dark chamber 24 and 48 hours after training (P < 0.001). The results ofthe retention test one and two weeks after training of quinine were not significant (P > 0.05).Conclusions: Quinine may decrease the severity of seizure and improve the memory retrieval of animals by inhibiting the gapjunction channel. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the molecular mechanism underlying the effects of quinine.