Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Department of Paediatrics, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Nigeria.
Carbamazepine ,Anticonvulsant ,Pentylenetetrazole ,Strychnine ,

Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders characterized by recurrent seizures and has associated disability. Different brands of antiepileptic drugs are available in developed and developing countries with significant numbers of them having questionable pharmacological activity. This study was necessitated with the aim of carrying out a comparative pharmacological assay on the efficacy of three brands of carbamazepine using strychnine and pentylenetetrazole induced convulsion in albino rats. Three different brands of carbamazepine were purchased from Mufaz Pharmacy within Maiduguri town at which their antiepileptic activity was compared using strychnine and pentylenetetrazole as an epileptic agents using albino rats. The three brands of carbamazepine (Drug A®, Drug B® and Drug C®) used in this study were able to increase the onset of jerk dose dependently among the albino rats induced with strychnine. Drug A®, Drug B® and Drug C® (30 mg) increased the onset of clonic convulsion significantly than the control group (p<0.05). The percentage protection by the drugs tested showed a dose dependent action by Drug A® and Drug B®. It has been observed from this study that carbamazepine protected the strychnine induced jerk, clonic convulsion and death better than the PTZ induced observed parameters. The time taken for the albino rats to convulse after the jerk was longer in strychnine group than the PTZ group. Again, carbamazepine was found to protect the albino rats by 40% in strychnine induced seizures when compared with PTZ group that had no protection. Carbamazepine was found to increase the onset of clonic convulsion in strychnine induced seizures better than the PTZ induced seizures in albino rats and the Drug B® brand was found to exhibit a better antiepileptic activity than Drug A® and Drug C®

5 , 1 , 2015