Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that has many types, including generalized seizures that involve cortical and subcortical structures. Previous study showed the anticonvulsant effect of Ferula szowitsiana. In this study Ferula szowitsiana extract was compared with diazepam as a clinical anticonvulsant drug. Hydroalcoholic extract of Ferula szowitsiana was prepared and dissolved in saline, tween 80 and ethanol (8/1/1 respectively) as vehicle. Male wistar rats (200- 250gr) were divided in to 4 groups (n=7): control, sham (intraperitoneal injection of vehicle),1 experimental group (i.p. dose of 400 mg/kg of extract) and 2 nd experimental group (i.p. dose of 0.5 mg/kg diazepam). For seizure induction, a single i.p dose of 45 mg/kg PTZ was used. convulsive states (latent periods and severity of seizures) were recorded 30 minutes after PTZ administration. Results showed that both the Ferula szowitsiana extract and diazepam significantly increased the latent period for onset of generalized convulsions (3 rd and 4 th convulsive stages) (p<0.001). Comparison between diazepam and extract indicate that diazepam significantly was more potent than the extract to postpone the onset of generalized convulsive stage (P<0.001). Although both of Ferula szowitsiana extract and diazepam shown anticonvulsant effect but because diazepam is a pure chemical compound can act via its special receptors, and extract has different and even reversible component for antiepileptic effects. According to results we can claim that Ferula szowitsiana extract is a potent anti convulsive medicinal plant which needs more investigation to find its mechanisms of actions.

کلمات کلیدی