Anxiolytic activity of aqueous extract of Camellia sinensis in rats

Anxiolytic-like Effects by trans-Ferulic Acid Possibly Occur through GABAergic Interaction Pathways

Numerous previous studies reported that ferulic acid exerts anxiolytic activity. However, the mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. The current study aimed to investigate the anxiolytic effect of trans-ferulic acid (TFA), a stereoisomer of ferulic acid, and evaluated its underlying mechanism using in vivo and computational studies. For this, different experimental doses of TFA (25, 50, and 75 mg/kg) were administered orally to Swiss albino mice, and various behavioral methods of open field, hole board, swing box, and light-dark tests were carried out. Diazepam (DZP), a positive allosteric modulator of the GABAA receptor, was employed as a positive control at a dose of 2 mg/kg, and distilled water served as a vehicle. Additionally, molecular docking was performed to estimate the binding affinities of the TFA and DZP toward the GABAA receptor subunits of α2 and α3, which are associated with the anxiolytic effect; visualizations of the ligand-receptor interaction were carried out using various computational tools. Our findings indicate that TFA dose-dependently reduces the locomotor activity of the animals in comparison with the controls, calming their behaviors. In addition, TFA exerted the highest binding affinity (-5.8 kcal/mol) to the α2 subunit of the GABAA receptor by forming several hydrogen and hydrophobic bonds. Taken together, our findings suggest that TFA exerts a similar effect to DZP, and the compound exerts moderate anxiolytic activity through the GABAergic interaction pathway. We suggest further clinical studies to develop TFA as a reliable anxiolytic agent.

Design, Synthesis and Pharmacological Evaluation of Novel C2,C3-Quinoxaline Derivatives as Promising Anxiolytic Agents

A new series of quinoxaline derivatives, 2a-4b, were synthesized and their anxiolytic potential was evaluated in vivo using elevated plus maze (EPM), open field (OF) and light-dark box (LDB) techniques. According to the results of the EPM, four active compounds were found in 2a, 2b, 2c, 4b. Their anxiolytic properties were confirmed in terms of LDB and the most active was compound 2b. In the OF, only 2c had an influence on the locomotor activity of the rodents. Thus, the most promising substance was determined; this was 2b, which has the structure of 2-(2-{[3-(4-tert-butylphenyl)quinoxaline-2-yl]methyl}-4,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-N-methylethan-1-amine hydrochloride. The obtained data were analyzed with the pharmacophore feature prediction approach, which made it possible to compare the structures of the studied compounds with the reference drug diazepam, and to determine the contribution of pharmacophores to the manifestation of the activity under study. ADMET analysis was carried out for compound 2b and the acute oral toxicity of this substance was also tested in vivo. As a result of the study, a promising compound with a high anxiolytic effect and low level of toxicity 2b was found, which is of interest for further preclinical study of its properties.

Binge ethanol consumption-associated behavioral impairments in male mice using a gelatin-based drinking-in-the dark model

BACKGROUND

Acute intoxication caused by binge ethanol drinking is linked to widespread impairments in brain functions. Various alcohol administration paradigms have been used in animals to model the heterogeneous clinical manifestation of intoxication in people. It is challenging to model a procedure that produces "visible intoxication" in rodents; however, manipulation of variables such as route of alcohol administration, time of availability, frequency, and duration and amount of ethanol exposure has achieved some success. In the current study, we employed a modified drinking-in-the-dark model to assess the validity of this model in producing "post-ethanol consumption intoxication" impairments following prolonged repeated daily voluntary "binge" ethanol consumption.

METHODS

Adult male C57BL/6J mice were allowed a daily 3-h access to non-alcoholic plain or ethanol-containing gel during the dark cycle for a total of 83 days. After the initial 2-month daily DID, ethanol intake patterns were intensely characterized during the next 3 weeks. Immediately following the last DID session (day 83), plain and ethanol gel-consuming mice were then subjected to behavioral tests of locomotor ability and/or anxiety (cylinder, wire grip, open field) followed by blood ethanol concentration measurement.

RESULT

Mice exhibited a relatively consistent ethanol consumption pattern during and across daily access periods. Ethanol intake of individual mice positively correlated with blood ethanol concentration that averaged 61.64 ± 2.84 mg/dL (n = 12). Compared to the plain gel-consuming control mice, ethanol gel mice exhibited significant locomotor impairment as well as anxiety-like behavior, with the magnitude of impairments of key indices well correlated with blood ethanol levels.

CONCLUSION

The gelatin vehicle-based voluntary ethanol drinking-in-the-dark model reliably produced post consumption acute movement impairments as well as anxiety-like behaviors even after 2 months of daily binge ethanol consumption in male mice. Taken together, this mouse binge ethanol model should facilitate the investigation of mechanisms of binge drinking in subjects chronically abusing ethanol and the search for effective novel treatment strategies.

Anti-anxiety properties of selected medicinal plants

Exploration of new drugs targeting anxiety treatment is a major concern worldwide. Medicinal plants are being used as a potential source of novel drugs for anxiety disorders. The objective of this review is to provide information about the healing outcomes of anxiety treatment with natural products. Valeriana officinalis, Citrus aurantium, Commelina benghalensis, Achyranthes aspera, Mimosa pudica, Achillea millefolium, Nymphaea alba, Leonurus cardiac, Camellia sinensis, Turnera aphrodisiaca, Crataegus oxyacantha and Piper methysticum showed promising effects on anxiety in animal models. In clinical studies, passion flower, kava, valerian, St John's wort, and ashwagandha showed the most positive results. More studies are needed for the exploration of the anti-anxiety of medicinal plants. In drugs derived from natural sources have explored many components that are playing an essential role in curing anxiety disorders and associated complications.

Chronic Voluntary Binge Ethanol Consumption Causes Sex-Specific Differences in Microglial Signaling Pathways and Withdrawal-associated Behaviors in Mice

BACKGROUND

Microglia are the resident immune cells in the brain where they play essential roles in the development and maintenance of physiological functions of this organ. Aberrant activation of microglia is speculated to be involved in the pathogenesis of a variety of neurological disorders, including alcohol use disorders. Repeated binge ethanol (EtOH) consumption can have a profound impact on the function and integrity of the brain resulting in changes in behaviors such as withdrawal and reward. However, the microglial molecular and cellular pathways associated with EtOH binge consumption remain poorly understood.

METHOD

In this study, adult C57BL/6J male and female mice were subjected daily to a gelatin-based drinking-in-the-dark voluntary EtOH consumption paradigm (3 h/d for 4 months) to characterize EtOH consumption and withdrawal-associated and anxiety-like behaviors. Brain microglia were isolated at the end and analyzed for protein expression profile changes using unbiased mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis.

RESULTS

Both male and female mice consistently consumed binge quantities of EtOH daily, resulting in blood EtOH levels > 80 mg/dl measured at the end of the 3-hour daily consumption period. Although female mice consumed a significantly greater amount of EtOH than male mice, EtOH withdrawal-associated anxiety-like behaviors measured by marble-burying, light-dark box, and elevated plus maze tests were predominantly observed in male mice. Proteomic analysis of microglia isolated from the brains of animals at the end of the 4-month binge EtOH consumption identified 117 and 37 proteins that were significantly up- or downregulated in EtOH-exposed male and female mice, respectively, compared to their pair-fed controls. Protein expression profile-based pathway analysis identified several cellular pathways that may underlie the sex-specific and EtOH withdrawal-associated behavioral abnormalities.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, our findings revealed sex-specific changes in EtOH withdrawal-associated behaviors and signaling pathways in the mouse brain microglia and may help advance our understanding of the molecular, cellular, and behavioral changes related to human binge EtOH consumption.

An Insight Into the Anxiolytic Effects of Lignans (Phyllanthin and Hypophyllanthin) and Tannin (Corilagin) Rich Extracts of Phyllanthus amarus : An In-Silico and In-vivo approaches

The extracts and the compounds isolated from Phyllanthus amarus Schumm and Thonn (Family: Euphorbiaceae) have shown a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities including antiviral, antibacterial, antiplasmodial, antimalarial, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective and diurectic properties.

BACKGROUND

This investigation was aimed at exploring the anxiolytic potential of Phyllanthus amarus standardized extracts and predict probable role of marker phyto constitutents.

OBJECTIVE AND METHODS

Three standardized extracts of Phyllanthus amarus plant viz. standardized aqueous extract of Phyllanthus amarus whole plant (PAAE), standardized methanolic extract of P. amarus leaf (PAME) and the standardized hydro-methanolic extract of P. amarus leaf (PAHME) were tested in the classical animal models of anxiety: Elevated plus-maze model and Light & Dark Exploration test.

RESULTS

The lower doses of the tannin rich extract (PAHME) of the P. amarus possess significant anxiolytic activity compared to lignin rich (PAME) and aqueous extracts (PAAE), while at a higher dose (400mg/kg) the results of all three extracts appears to be potentially sedative. While the molecular docking studies support these probable anxiolytic, the sedative effects of the Phyllanthus amarus extracts could be due to the interaction of tannins and lignans with the GABAbenzodiazepine receptor complex.

CONCLUSION

The results of the present study indicate that the tannin-rich extract of the P. amarus may have potential clinical applications in the management of anxiety. It can be further studied for optimum dosage to be used as a future of anti-anxiety drug development or as a standardized Phytomedicine.

An improved light dark box test by using a real-time video tracking system

In the behavioral science field, many of the oldest tests have still most frequently been used almost in the same way for decades. The subjective influence of human observer and the large inter-observer and interlab differences are substantial among these tests. This necessitates the possibility of using technological innovations for behavioral science to obtain new parameters, results and insights as well. The light-dark box (LDB) test is a characteristic tool used to assess anxiety in rodents. A complete behavioral analysis (including both anxiety and locomotion parameters) is not possible by performing traditional LDB test protocol, as it lacks the usage of a real-time video recording of the test. In the current report, we describe an improved approach to conduct LDB test using a real-time video tracking system.

Healthy properties of green and white teas: an update

Green tea has been consumed for centuries in Japan, China and Morocco.