Sensorimotor changes following acute exposure to carbamazepine and phenytoin in male Wistar rats

Introduction: The use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) such as carbamazepine and phenytoin are part of strategies for the management of epilepsy. Acute exposure of epileptic patients to AEDs can cause sensory impairment. Aim: This study seeks to assess sensorimotor changes in male Wistar rats upon single-large dose exposure to carbamazepine, phenytoin and their mixture. Methods: 24 male Wistar rats (160-210 g) were randomly separated to four groups with 6 rats each. Groups I, II and III was given distilled water (2 ml/kg), carbamazepine (1950 mg/kg); and phenytoin (820 mg/kg) respectively, while Group IV (CBZ+PHY) was co-exposed to carbamazepine (1950 mg/kg) and phenytoin (820 mg/kg). The treatment was orally administered once by gavage (on Day(D) 1), then followed by weekly monitoring of body weight, clinical signs and neurobehavioural parameters for four weeks (D0, D1, D7, D14, D21 and D28). Results: The body weight revealed insignificant improvement (p > 0.05) in all groups. A significantly (p < 0.05) lower grooming frequency, increased locomotor activity and a reduction in the frequency of urination and defecation were recorded in the CBZ and PHY groups. Also, the number of missed rungs, inclined plane and grip fore-paw time reduced significantly (p < 0.05) in CBZ, PHY and CBZ+PHY groups. Significance: A single large dose of CBZ, PHY and their combination caused anxiogenic and sensorimotor impairment.