Anticonvulsant and sedative-hypnotic activity of some novel 3-[5-(4-substituted) phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2yl]-2-styrylquinazoline-4(3H)-ones

A few novel 3-[5-(4-substituted) phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-yl]-2-styryl quinazoline-4(3H)-ones were synthesized and evaluated for anticonvulsant, neurotoxicity, sedative-hypnotic, and phenobarbitone-induced hypnosis potentiation test. After i.p. injection to mice at doses of 30, 100, and 300 mg/kg body weight derivatives were examined in the maximal electroshock-induced seizures (MES) and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazole (scPTZ)-induced seizure models in mice. Spectroscopic data were consistence with the newly synthesized compounds. The neurotoxicity was assessed using the Rotorod method. Out of 15 compounds only 7e and 7o showed anticonvulsant activity at various doses in one or more test models. All except 7d, 7m, and 7n exhibited significant sedative-hypnotic activity via actophotometer screen. Central nervous system (CNS)-depressant activity screened with the help of the forced swim method resulted into some potent compounds. No percentage increase in the sleeping time was observed in any of the synthesized compounds evaluated by the phenobarbitone-induced hypnosis potentiation test. On the basis of experimental data, it can be concluded that synthesized compounds possessed relatively better sedative-hypnotic and CNS-depressant activities.