Anticonvulsive activity of (1S)-(-)-verbenone involving RNA expression of BDNF, COX-2, and c-fos.

(1S)-(-)-verbenone (VRB) is a monoterpene present in the essential oils of many plants which has shown therapeutic effect; however, its anticonvulsant activity has not yet been evaluated. The present work sought to investigate the anticonvulsant activity of VRB using pilocarpine and pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure testing; seeking also probable mechanisms of action. VRB caused no significant changes in motor coordination. Also, no significant data was observed in the pilocarpine-induced seizure tests. In the PTZ-induced seizures test, VRB showed anticonvulsant activity at doses of 200 mg/kg i.p. (733 ± 109.4 s) and 250 mg/kg i.p. (648.8 ± 124.5 s) significantly increasing the latency to onset of first seizure as compared with the vehicle group (51.8 ± 2.84 s). Pretreatment with flumazenil (FLU) did not reverse the anticonvulsive effect of VRB; however, it was able to upregulate BDNF and COX-2 genes and downregulate c-fos. The findings suggest that the anticonvulsant effects of VRB may be related to RNA expression modulations of COX-2, BDNF, and c-fos.