Effects of androsterone on convulsions in various seizure models in mice

Abstract It is believed that a deficiency of androgens, including free testosterone, may promote the development of convulsions. The present study revealed differences in the action of androsterone (AND), a major excreted metabolite of testosterone and a neurosteroid, in three commonly used seizure models in mice. AND administered intraperitoneally exhibited dose-dependent protection against tonic-clonic convulsions caused by maximal electroshock (MES) with ED 50 (effective dose 50 ) of 227 mg/kg. The compound also inhibited the convulsive action of pentylenetetrazole (PTZ), increasing its CD= (convulsive dose 50 ) for clonic convulsions from 77.2 (PTZ + saline) to 93.9 (p  50 for PTZ-induced tonic convulsions increased from 102 to 127.6 mg/kg (p  50 for kainate (KA)-induced convulsions from 40.8 to 28.7 (p