Efeitos antioxidantes do canabidiol em modelo experimental de crise convulsiva

Abstract

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease characterized by abnormal and recurrent neuronal discharges, often associated with synaptic dysfunction, oxidative stress and neuroinflammation. Given the therapeutic resistance observed in a significant proportion of patients to conventional antiepileptic drugs, this study aimed to evaluate the antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in an experimental model of seizures induced by pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). Following approval by the Animal Ethics Committee of Universidade Vila Velha – ES (CEUA UVV: No. 666-2023), twenty males C57BL/6 mice were randomly assigned to three experimental groups: control (CON, n=8), cannabidiol (CBD, n=6), and pentylenetetrazol (PTZ, n=6). The CON group received no treatment; the CBD group was treated with cannabidiol (10 mg/kg); and the PTZ group received saline solution. Treatments were administered daily for five consecutive days. On the sixth day, both the CBD and PTZ groups received PTZ (60 mg/kg). Following the injection, behaviors were recorded on video for 30 minutes and subsequently analyzed using the Modified Racine Scale, considering behavioral scores, total number of seizures, latency period, and seizure types. In addition, biomarkers of oxidative stress and neuronal apoptosis were evaluated. The results demonstrated that cannabidiol treatment significantly reduced seizure frequency and severity, increased latency time, and decreased reactive oxygen species production and neuronal apoptosis. It is concluded that cannabidiol exhibits potential therapeutic effects in the treatment of epilepsy, highlighting its promising antioxidant and neuroprotective properties.