Evaluation of Anticonvulsive Effect of Methanol Extract of Ferula Asafoetida Gum in Mice

There are some reports on the antiepileptic effects of genus Ferula in the traditional Persian medicine. Due to the side effects of common antiepileptic drugs, effective compounds with fewer side effects are needed. The present study examined the anticonvulsive effects of the methanol extract of Ferula in seizures induced by maximum electroshock (MES) and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) in mice.
Thirty minutes before the induction of seizures, sixty mice were divided into six groups group I: solvent (10 mg/kg control group), group II: ethosuximide (150 mg/kg as positive control group for PTZ), group III: phenytoin (25 mg/kg as positive control group for MES) and the fourth, fifth, and sixth groups: the methanol extract of Ferula (100, 250, 500 mg/kg).
The methanol extract of Ferula did not inhibit the occurrence of seizures induced by PTZ and MES, but significantly increased the latency time in the PTZ model.
It seems that the methanol extract of Ferula has different effects in various models of seizures and further investigation is needed.