Capecitabine suppresses seizure activity in rats with pentylenetetrazol-induced epilepsy

Abstract

Aim: Capecitabine was developed as a pro-drug of 5-FU. Epilepsy is a common and often debilitating neurological disease that is characterized by recurrent spontaneous seizures arising from abnormal electrical activity in the brain. The mechanism of the excitatory properties of folates is uncertain, but there is some evidence that they may act by blocking or reversing GABA-mediated inhibition. Material and Methods: In this study, we investigated the potential anti-folate effects of capecitabine by administering doses of 250 mg/kg IP and 500 mg/kg IP. Results: We show that capecitabine statistically suppresses seizure activity in EEG telemetry in the brain, prolongs the time to the first myoclonic jolt, and reduces Racine's convulsion score, suppresses folate level and therefore significantly reduces PTZ-induced seizures. Discussion: It can be assumed that the anti-tumoral mechanism and anti-epileptic mechanism are largely due to the anti-Folate effect in the brain.