[Effect of diazepam and nicotinamide on convulsive activity of various types]

Acute experiments on mice were made to investigate the anticonvulsant activity of diazepam and its combination with nicotinamide in experimental seizures induced by corazol, picrotoxin, bicucullin and thiosemicarbazide. It was shown that diazepam (0.2-1.6 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent anticonvulsant effect in all models under study. Nicotinamide (250 mg/kg) substantially reduced the animals' lethality and seizure manifestations induced by picrotoxin and completely protected some of the animals from the bicucullin-induced seizures. Nicotinamide (250 mg/kg) potentiated the anticonvulsant effect of diazepam in all the experimental seizures under study. Micotinamide had a more pronounced effect in respect of the protection of the animals from tonic seizures as compared with clonic ones. The data suggest that the mechanisms of the anticonvulsant action of nicotinamide are mediated via the GABA-benzodiazepine receptor complex.