Anti‑epileptic Effects of Valepotriate Isolated from Valeriana jatamansi Jones and Its Possible Mechanisms

Objective: This work aimed to investigate the anti‑epileptic effects of valepotriate isolated from Valeriana jatamansi Jones and studied its possible mechanisms. Methods: The anti‑epileptic effects of valepotriate were studied using maximal electroshock‑induced seizure (MES), pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)‑induced epilepsy, and pentobarbital sodium‑induced sleeping model in mice. The possible anti‑epileptic mechanisms of valepotriate were investigated by analyzing the expressions of GABAA, GABAB, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65), Bcl‑2, and caspase‑3 in the brain using Western blot assay. Results: The results indicated that valepotriate showed significant anti‑epileptic activity against MES‑ and PTZ‑induced epilepsy at doses of 5, 10, and 20 mg/kg, and ED50 values for MES‑ and PTZ‑induced epilepsy were 7.84 and 7.19 mg/kg, respectively. Furthermore, valepotriate (10 and 20 mg/kg) can significantly prolong sleeping time and shorten the latency time on the pentobarbital sodium‑induced sleeping time test. Furthermore, valepotriate (5, 10, and 20 mg/kg) could significantly up‑regulate the expression of GABAA, GAD65, and Bcl‑2 and down‑regulate the expression of caspase‑3, but had no significant effect on the expression of GABAB. Conclusion: The results indicated that valepotriate had anti‑epileptic activity and the mechanisms might be associated with regulation of GABA and inhibition of neuronal apoptosis.