Triethyltin decreases maximal electroshock seizure severity in adult rats

Acute and subacute treatment of adult rats with triethyltin bromide (TET) caused dose-dependent and time-dependent decreases in maximal electroshock seizure (MES) severity. This decrease in excitability was characterized by both a decrease in the percentage of animals exhibiting a maximal seizure and a corresponding decrease in the extension durations and an increase in the flexion durations. Acutely treated rats received (ip) 0, 1, or 5 mg/kg TET while subacutely exposed (po) received 0, 1, 5, or 10 ppm TET in the drinking water for 10 days. Experiments were designed so that the total consumed dose of TET, on a milligram per kilogram basis, equaled that in the acute experiment. No alterations in body weight were observed in either experiment. Acutely, the onset of action of TET was detectable within 0.5 hr. For the 1 mg/kg group, the effect peaked between 4 and 24 hr and completely recovered by 72 to 96 hr. For the 5 mg/kg group, the marked effect peaked at 4 hr, however, no recovery was observed. Subacute exposure for 1 to 2 days produced marked decreases in MES severity which were still present in the 5- and 10-ppm groups 14 days after cessation of exposure. Comparison of the onset and recovery data in the acute and subacute experiments revealed a close correspondence in similarly dosed rats. Comparison with other MES data from our laboratory revealed that adult rats were more sensitive to TET than adult mice or developing rats. Additionally, the MES test was able to detect subtle functional alterations in the central nervous system at lower doses of TET than previously reported neurobehavioral evaluation procedures.