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Protective effect of quercetin on alcohol abstinence-induced anxiety and convulsions.

Joshi D, Naidu PS, Singh A, Kulkarni SK

Pharmacology Division, University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.

Chronic administration of ethanol (2 g/kg, p.o.) on days 1-6 and its withdrawal produced an anxiogenic reaction in mice as assessed in the mirrored-chamber test. Daily administration of quercetin (25 or 50 mg/kg, p.o.) prior to ethanol for 6 days prevented withdrawal-induced anxiety in mice. However, acute administration of a single dose of quercetin (50 mg/kg) to animals withdrawn from ethanol, i.e., on day 7, did not prevent withdrawal-induced anxiety. Ethanol withdrawal also induced a significant increase in the locomotor activity of mice indicating an anxiogenic response. Daily administration of quercetin (25 or 50 mg/kg, p.o.) prior to ethanol for 6 days prevented withdrawal-induced increased locomotor activity. Ethanol withdrawal also sensitized the convulsogenic reaction to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). A non-convulsive dose (40-60 mg/kg) of PTZ produced full-blown convulsions and increased mortality in ethanol-withdrawn mice. Both acute and chronic administration of quercetin (25 or 50 mg/kg, p.o.) produced a significant protection against ethanol withdrawal-induced reduction in PTZ threshold in mice. The result suggests the protective effect of this safe drug, quercetin, in the management of ethanol withdrawal reactions.

Published 22 September 2005 in J Med Food, 8(3): 392-6.
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