Sparteine and lupanine as alternative anticonvulsant phytotherapies

Abstract

The treatment of epileptic seizures and status epilepticus represents a challenge dueto the shortage of effective drugs. The sparteineand lupanine are quinozilidinic alkaloids present in the majority of the species of Lupinus. Nume-rous effects on the cardiovascular system have been described as well as cholinergic effects insystemic and central nervous system. It has been described that sparteine diminishes the severity of the convulsive behavior, as well as the epilep-tiform activity (discharge trains) in different crisismodels: pentylenetetrazol, pilocarpine and kai- nic acid.
The administration of lupanina decreases the se- verity of the convulsive behavior and the epilep- tiform activity in the pentylenetetrazole model,however it did not present anticonvulsive effectsin the pilocarpine and kainic acid models. Howe- ver, it is important to carry out more studies todetermine the most effective doses, as well asthe precise mechanism through which thesealkaloids exert their anticonvulsant effect.