Effect of ascorbic acid and anaerobic exercise on PTZ-induced seizure in adult male rats

Introduction: The concentration and action of ascorbic acid in the central nervous system as a vitamin and also a neuromodulator have exercise-induced fluctuations. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of anaerobic exercise alone and associated with the consumption of ascorbic acid as a non pharmacological treatment for reducing seizures and increasing seizure thresholds. Methods: In this experimental study, 28 adult male Wistar rats (200-250gr) were divided into four groups including control (PTZ), anaerobic exercise, ascorbic acid and anaerobic exercise plus ascorbic acid. After performing exercise according to the designed protocol, PTZ was used for inducing seizures (80mg/kg, IP) and seizure latency of different stages was analyzed for each group. Results: In anaerobic exercise plus ascorbic acid group, the latency of the onset of seizure in all stages showed a significant increase in comparison with the control (p<0.001). The data showed that stages 2, 3,4 and 5 latency significantly increased in anaerobic exercise plus ascorbic acid group in comparison with the animals treated with ascorbic acid (p<0.05). Seizure related mortality was significantly decreased in ascorbic acid and also anaerobic exercise plus ascorbic acid groups (0%) compared to the control group (57%, p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, these data suggest that the exercise as well as ascorbic acid and also combination of them have a preventive role in PTZ-induced seizure.