Abstract
Facilitation of experimental convulsions by reserpine (1) which persisted for several days was found to correspond with depletion of brain amines including 5-hydroxytryptamine, adrenaline and noradrenaline. Decrease in the concentration of these amines was found to be responsible for such experimental convulsions. It has also been reported that inhibitors of the enzyme monoamine oxidase, responsible for the metabolism of biogenic amines, have pronounced anticonvulsant effect (2) presumably due to an increase in the concentration of brain amines. In the present study some quinazolone hydrazides (3) and quinazolone hydrazines (4) synthesized in this laboratory as monoamine oxidase inhibitors were tested for their ability to protect against convulsions produced in rats by subcutaneous injections of pentylenetetrazol. Attempts were made to investigate if the enzyme inhibition is related to anticonvulsant effects elicited by such 2, 3-disubstituted quinazolones which have been shown to possess pronounced hypnotic (5) and anticonvulsant properties (6).
