Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Sains Malaysia
  • 2 Universiti Malaysia Terengganu
ASM Science Journal, 2012;6(2):95-102.
MyJurnal

Abstract

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures resulting from excessive abnormal electrical discharges in the brain. Medicinal plants may play an invaluable role to discover the new antiepileptic drugs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anticonvulsant activity of α-terpineol isolated from Myristica fragrans Hountt. The α-terpineol showed a significant inhibition of the seizure episodes and spikes in absence seizures model of Genetic Absence Epilepsy Rats from Strasbourg (GAERS) rats by using electroencephalography records. It showed dose-dependent anticonvulsant activity that was comparable to the known antiepileptic drug of diazepam. It showed a rapid onset and relatively short duration of anticonvulsant effects. The present findings suggest that α-terpineol might possess antiepileptic activities against the partial seizures of human because it prevented seizures in well-established genetic absence seizure animal model of GAERS rats.