A COMPARISON OF THE ANTICONVULSANT EFFECTS OF PROPOFOL AND THIOPENTONE AGAINST PENTYLENETETRAZOL-INDUCED CONVULSIONS IN THE RAT

1. The anticonvulsant effects of subanaesthetic doses of propofol and thiopentone against PTZ-induced seizures and mortality were examined in the rat. 2. Administration of propofol (50 mg/kg, i.p.) 5 min prior to PTZ treatment increased the 2 h CD50 and the 24 h LD50 of PTZ by 3.4-fold, whereas thiopentone pretreatment (20 mg/kg, i.p.) increased these values by more than five-fold. 3. Both propofol and thiopentone prolonged the latency to the onset of clonic seizure but the effects of the former were more marked. 4. The data demonstrate that propofol was more effective than thiopentone in providing complete protection against PTZ-induced seizures for the first 30-40 min of observation and that thiopentone, because of its sustained effects, was more effective in reducing the cumulative incidence of seizures and mortality over 2 and 24 h, respectively. 5. We conclude that propofol is a very effective anticonvulsant and provides complete protection of short duration against PTZ-induced seizures in the rat.