Planta Med 2008; 74(5): 491-496
DOI: 10.1055/s-2008-1074495
Pharmacology
Original Paper
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Juice Exerts an Anticonvulsant Effect in Mice through Binding to GABA Receptors

Ruta Muceniece1 , Kristine Saleniece1 , Liga Krigere1 , Juris Rumaks1 , Zane Dzirkale1 , Rudolfs Mezhapuke4 , Jorens Kviesis2 , Peteris Mekss2 , Vija Klusa1 , Helgi B. Schiöth3 , Maija Dambrova4
  • 1University of Latvia, Faculty of Medicine, Riga, Latvia
  • 2University of Latvia, Faculty of Chemistry, Riga, Latvia
  • 3Department of Neuroscience, Uppsala University, Biomedical Centre, Uppsala, Sweden
  • 4Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis, Riga, Latvia
Weitere Informationen

Publikationsverlauf

Received: July 26, 2007 Revised: February 20, 2008

Accepted: February 24, 2008

Publikationsdatum:
08. April 2008 (online)

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Abstract

Naturally occurring benzodiazepines have been identified in regular food such as wheat and potato, but there is still no evidence that potato extracts can affect CNS responses in vivo. Here we found that undiluted potato juice and potato juice diluted with saline 1 : 2 administered 10 min intracisternally (i. c.) and 30 min per os before bicuculline exerted significant anticonvulsant activity in the bicuculline-induced seizure threshold test in mice. In vitro, potato juice from different harvests at dilution series from 10 % to 0.000001 %, diluted 100,000-fold, displaced 50 % of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor ligand [3H]GABA and diluted 40-fold displaced 50 % of [3H]flunitrazepam from binding sites in mice forebrain membranes. The low content of diazepam (0.04 ± 0.01 mg/kg) determined by HPLC and mass spectrometry in the potato extracts could not sustain the anticonvulsant activity of potato juice in vivo; therefore we hypothesized that potato juice might contain GABAA receptor GABA-site active compounds. The findings of this study suggest that potato juice as well as potato taken as food may have the capacity of influencing brain GABA-ergic activity.

References

Prof. Dr. Ruta Muceniece

University of Latvia

Faculty of Medicine

Sarlotes Str.1a

LV-1001 Riga

Latvia

Telefon: +3717362499

Fax: +371-738-8306

eMail: Ruta.Muceniece@lu.lv