β-sitosterol reduces anxiety and synergizes with established anxiolytic drugs in mice.
Cell Rep Med 2021;
2:100281. [PMID:
34095883 PMCID:
PMC8149471 DOI:
10.1016/j.xcrm.2021.100281]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Anxiety and stress-related conditions represent a significant health burden in modern society. Unfortunately, most anxiolytic drugs are prone to side effects, limiting their long-term usage. Here, we employ a bioinformatics screen to identify drugs for repurposing as anxiolytics. Comparison of drug-induced gene-expression profiles with the hippocampal transcriptome of an importin α5 mutant mouse model with reduced anxiety identifies the hypocholesterolemic agent β-sitosterol as a promising candidate. β-sitosterol activity is validated by both intraperitoneal and oral application in mice, revealing it as the only clear anxiolytic from five closely related phytosterols. β-sitosterol injection reduces the effects of restraint stress, contextual fear memory, and c-Fos activation in the prefrontal cortex and dentate gyrus. Moreover, synergistic anxiolysis is observed when combining sub-efficacious doses of β-sitosterol with the SSRI fluoxetine. These preclinical findings support further development of β-sitosterol, either as a standalone anxiolytic or in combination with low-dose SSRIs.
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