Background: In Iranian traditional medicine, Ferula assa-foetida oleo gum resin (asafoetida) have been used as anti-convulsant agents. Aims: This study was designed to evaluate the anti-convulsant effect of asafoetida on chemical and amygdala -kindled rats. Materials and Methods: In chemical model, rats received orally asafoetida at dose of 50 and 100 mg/kg 90 minutes prior to Pentylenetetrazol injection in dose of 35 mg/kg intraperitoneally (i.p.) and control group received normal saline. Convulsive behavior was recorded for 30 minutes. For amygdala kindle model, bipolar stimulating and monopolar recording electrodes were implanted stereotaxically. After kindling, the effect of asafoetida (50 and 100mg/kg) on after discharge duration, duration of stage 5 seizure and latency to the onset of bilateral forelimb clonuses was measured. Results: Pretreatment animals with asafoetida significantly reduced the mean seizure stage during the 20 kindling injection of Pentylenetetrazol. Seizure parameters in amigdala kindle model improved in treatment animals at both dose 50 and 100 mg/kg. The number of stimulations in stage 3, 4, and 5 in asafoetida-treated rats at both doses significantly increased. Conclusions: These results showed that asafoetida could prevent seizure in both chemical and electrical kindling model and this effect may partially be related to the terpenoids compounds.

Abstract: The effects of unilateral intra‐ventral hippocampus injection of URB597, a fatty acid amid hydrolase inhibitor, and AM251, a selective CB₁receptor antagonist, on anxiety‐related behaviours using elevated plus‐maze test of anxiety were evaluated in the present study. Possible involvement of GABAergic system in those effects of URB597 was also evaluated. Injection of URB597 at the doses of 0.01, 0.1 and 1 μg/rat showed significant anxiogenic‐like effects at 0.1 and 1 μg/rat. However, intra‐ventral hippocampus injection of AM251 at the doses of 0.001, 0.01 and 0.1 μg/rat did not produce any significant effect in the elevated plus‐maze. The ineffective doses of selective GABA_Areceptor antagonist, bicuculline (2 μg/rat) and selective GABA_Breceptor antagonist, phaclofen (1 μg/rat) on anxiety‐related behaviours were also injected with URB597 (0.1 μg/rat). The present data showed that neither bicuculline nor phaclofen affected the anxiogenic‐like effects of URB597. The results showed that injection of URB597 into the ventral hippocampus may be anxiogenic and GABAergic system may not be involved in its anxiogenic‐like effects.