Anticonvulsive effects of intracerebroventricular administration of rutin in rats

Various synthetic derivatives of natural flavonoids are known to have neuroactive properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anticonvulsant effects of rutin (3, 3′, 4′, 5, 7-pentahydrohyflavone-3-rhamnoglucoside), a flavonoid which is an important dietary constituent of food and plant-based beverages. To this end, we assessed the anticonvulsant effects of rutin in rats treated with pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) (90 mg/kg, i.p.) and sought to clarify this mechanism. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of rutin dose-dependently affected minimal clonic seizures (MCS) and generalized tonic–clonic seizures (GTCS) induced by PTZ, through increments in seizure onset. Additionally, pretreatment with flumazenil (5 nM, i.c.v.) abolished the anticonvulsant effects of rutin during the onset of both seizures. These results indicate that rutin has anticonvulsant effects in the brain, possibly through positive allosteric modulation of the GABAA receptor complex via interaction at the benzodiazepine site.