Long‑term effects of vitexin against development of pentylenetetrazole‑induced kindling in rats

Evidence is provided that the glycosylated flavonoid vitexin (apigenin‑8‑C‑beta‑D‑glucopyranoside) attenuates pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)‑induced acute tonic‑clonic seizures in rats. However, the effects of chronic and systemic vitexin in PTZ‑kindled rats remain unknown. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of long‑term treatment with vitexin in the PTZ‑kindling model of epilepsy. Male Wistar rats received intraperitoneal injections of PTZ at a subconvulsive dose of 35 mg/kg every other day for 29 days. Either saline containing dimethyl sulfoxide - DMSO 1%  (vehicle), diazepam (2 mg/kg; positive control) or vitexin (2.5 mg/kg) was administered intraperitoneally 30 min before each PTZ injection. The behavioral reactions were recorded by 30 min immediately after each PTZ injection. Furthermore, on the 31st day, that is, 48 h after the latter dose of PTZ, the animals were euthanized and renal and hepatic biochemical markers were evaluated in blood serum. Chronic treatment with either diazepam or vitexin attenuated the seizures provoked by PTZ injections. Neither diazepam nor vitexin caused changes in renal levels of creatinine and urea and in hepatic levels of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. Our findings suggest that chronic administration of vitexin attenuates the progression of PTZ‑induced kindling without causing side effects on kidneys and liver.