Inhibition of pentylenetetrazole-induced seizure in mice by using a 4 Hz magnetic field: a comparative study with a 60 Hz magnetic field

Abstract

We investigated the comparative effects of 4 and 60 Hz magnetic fields on pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizure in mice. For this study, we measured the latent time to seizure, seizure duration, and lethality induced by PTZ in mice exposed to 4 and 60 Hz magnetic fields (MF) for 30 min. Compared to sham-exposed controls, the latent time to tail twitching and seizure in the 4 Hz MF group was significantly decreased while the latent time to seizure in the 60 Hz MF group was significantly increased. The seizure duration in the 4 Hz MF group was significantly decreased while that in the 60 Hz MF group was significantly increased. More importantly, while the mice exposed to a 60 Hz MF experienced significantly increased lethality after seizure convulsion, those exposed to a 4 Hz MF showed no lethality, with a shortening of the duration of seizure. This beneficial effect of a 4 Hz MF on seizure has the same implication as the anti-oxidative effects of a 4 Hz MF observed in our previous work. The results of our current and previous works indicate that a 4 Hz MF may be used as a therapeutic physical agent for the treatment of oxidative stress-induced diseases, including seizure, with or without chemical drugs.

Keywords::

• 4 Hz magnetic field
• 60 Hz magnetic field
• Seizure
• Pentylenetetrazole
• Oxidative stress

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korea government, Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology (MEST) in 2010 (No. 2010-0025289) and by a Korean Pharmacopuncture Foundation grant funded by the Korean Pharmacopuncture Institute (KPI-2010-003).

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.