heteratisine/epilepsy

Alkaloids of different Aconitum species are employed as analgesics in traditional Chinese folk medicine. The present study was designed in order to investigate the effects of the structurally related alkaloids 6-benzoylheteratisine and heteratisine on neuronal activity in rat hippocampus.

Aconitine is a highly toxic diterpenoid alkaloid occurring in plants of the Aconitum genus. Aconitine is known to shift the voltage-dependence of the voltage-dependent Na(+) channel towards hyperpolarized direction, thereby leading to a permanent activation of the channel. 6-benzoylheteratisine is a