Anticonvulsant profile of the progesterone metabolite 5 alpha-pregnan-3 alpha-ol-20-one - PubMed (original) (raw)

Comparative Study

. 1989 Jul 18;166(2):325-9.

doi: 10.1016/0014-2999(89)90077-0.

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Comparative Study

Anticonvulsant profile of the progesterone metabolite 5 alpha-pregnan-3 alpha-ol-20-one

D Belelli et al. Eur J Pharmacol. 1989.

Abstract

5 alpha-Pregnan-3 alpha-ol-20-one (3 alpha-OH-DHP) is a naturally occurring metabolite of progesterone that can modulate brain excitability through a specific steroid recognition site on the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor-chloride ionophore complex. The anticonvulsant properties of 3 alpha-OH-DHP were determined using standardized anticonvulsant screening tests in mice. This steroid was found to be effective against metrazol-, (+)-bicuculline- and picrotoxin-induced seizures. The steroid has maximum potency against (+)-bicuculline-induced convulsions and no activity against maximal electroshock and strychnine-induced seizures. These findings support the hypothesis that therapeutically useful anticonvulsant steroids active at the putative steroid recognition site associated with the GABA/benzodiazepine receptor-chloride ionophore complex can be identified.

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