Abstract
The present study has been designed to investigate the role of opioid receptors, mast cells, and histamine receptors (H1 subtype) in the seizurogenic effect of tramadol on pentylenetetrazole-treated mice. A single injection of pentylenetetrazole (80 mg kg−1) was used to elicit seizure activity in mice. Seizures were assessed in terms of the time latency of the onset of Straub-like tail, onset of jerky movements of whole body, convulsions, and death. Tramadol administration (50 mg kg −1) caused a marked increase in seizurogenic activity of pentylenetetrazole as measured in terms of a significant decrease in the time latency of the onset of Straub-like tail, jerky movements of whole body, convulsions, and death. Moreover, prior administration of naloxone (2 mg kg−1), fexofenadine (100 mg kg−1), cetrizine, sodium cromoglycate, and ketotifen (10 mg kg−1), respectively, attenuated the seizurogenic activity that tramadol exerted on pentylenetetrazole-treated mice. Therefore, it may be suggested that tramadol exerts a seizurogenic effect on mice via an H1 receptor activation-linked pathway possibly through an opioid receptor-dependent release of histamine from the mast cells.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful to Dr. Madhu Chitkara, Director, Chitkara Institute of Engineering and Technology, Rajpura, Patiala, India and Dr. Ashok Chitkara, Chairman, Chitkara Educational Trust, Chandigarh, India for support and institutional facilities.
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Rehni, A.K., Singh, T.G., Singh, N. et al. Tramadol-induced seizurogenic effect: a possible role of opioid-dependent histamine (H1) receptor activation-linked mechanism. Naunyn-Schmied Arch Pharmacol 381, 11–19 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-009-0476-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-009-0476-y