The Effects of Prenatal Norharman Exposure on Seizure Severity in Rats

Abstract

Background: Norhraman is an alkaloid that can damage the nervous system. Objective: This experimental study aimed to investigate the effects of prenatal norharman exposure on seizure severity in adult rats. Methods: A total of 36 Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups as follows: Control, sham (solvent), and norharman (1000 ug/kg). The sham and norharman groups were treated once daily for 8-18 of the fetal period. 2 months after birth, kindling was performed by the daily injection of Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) (30 mg/kg); then, the seizure behavior was recorded for approximately 30 minutes. The obtained data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s posthoc test. Results: The present study data indicated that administrating norharman in the fetal period increased seizure responses to PTZ, i.e., significant in the examined female rats (P<0.05). Conclusion: According to the current research findings, the severity of seizures increases in subjects who have been exposed to norharman during the prenatal period.