Anticonvulsive effect of 2-hydroxylamine-5-ethyl-5-sec-pentyl barbituric acid (HB-7) in two experimental models of epilepsy.

The effects of barbiturate HB-7 (2-hydroxylamine-5-ethyl-5-sec-pentylbarbituric acid) injected intraperitoneally compared to the effects of pentobarbital and/or phenobarbital were investigated in three series of experiments on cats: normal electrocorticogram (ECoG); pentylentetrazol-induced generalized paroxysmal ECoG; and paroxysmal ECoG activity induced by topical application of penicillin on the exposed cortical surface. In the first series, HB-7 led to the appearance of ECoG spindles of the same type as those elicited by pentobarbital. In the second series (pentylentetrazol-treated group), HB-7 increased the two thresholds: one associated with the appearance of isolated paroxysmal spike-wave complexes and the other corresponding to the appearance of generalized paroxysmal ECoG activity. In the third series, HB-7 led to an inhibition of penicillin spikes, both in the focus itself and in the other cortical areas where they propagated. The possibility for using HB-7 as an antiepileptic drug was discussed.