Anticonvulsant Activity and Inhibition of Cellular Respiratory Activity by Substituted Imidazolocarbamides

Several 1‐(1‐aryl‐2‐mercaptoacetylimidazole)‐3‐alkyl‐carbamides were synthesized and characterized by their sharp melting points, elemental analyses, and IR spectra. These substituted imidazolocarbamides possessed anticonvulsant activity, which was reflected by the 20–80% protection observed with these compounds against pentylenetetrazol‐induced convulsions in mice. These substituted imidazolocarbamides selectively inhibited the in vitro oxidation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)‐dependent oxidations of pyruvate, α‐ketoglutarate, β‐hydroxybutyrate, and NADH by rat brain homogenates. However, NAD‐independent oxidation of succinate was not affected. The anticonvulsant activity possessed by 1‐(1‐aryl‐2‐mercaptoacetylimidazole)‐3‐alkylcarbamides had no relationship to their ability to inhibit cellular respiratory activity.