Content area
Full Text
ABSTRACT:
Objective: To evaluate anxiolytic like effect of Verapamil in mice.
Materials and Methods: Verapamil was administered at two different doses (10mg and 20mg mg/kg BW) once daily for 9 days to Swiss albino mice of either sex. The anxiolytic activity of control and drug treated mice were recorded by light and dark exploration, marble burying and social interaction method. The anxiolytic effect of verapamil in two doses and in combination with fluoxetine was compared to that of fluoxetine (20 mg/kg BW) administered for 9 successive days.
Results: Combination of both drugs and Verapamil alone produced significant anxiolytic effect at two doses (10mg and 20mg /kg), as indicated by decrease in marble burying, changes in light and dark exploration and increase in social interaction, of drug-treated mice compared to control mice. The efficacy of combinational drugs and Verapamil at 20mg/kg was comparable to that of Fluoxetine, but anxiolytic activity in animals administered with Verapamil 10mg/kg was significantly less as compared to Fluoxetine pre-treated mice.
Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate anxiolytic like activity of Verapamil.
KEYWORDS: Anxiolytic, Verapamil, Calcium channel blockers, Fluoxetine, Marble burying.
INTRODUCTION:
Anxiety disorders comprise one of the most prevalent classes of psychiatric disorders. Anxiety disorders according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) include generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder (PD), phobias, social phobia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and were the most common mental disorders with 14% prevalence alone in Europe in 2010.(1)
Anxiety is a psychological and physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components. These components combine to create an unpleasant feeling that is typically associated with uneasiness, fear, or worry. (2)
So far, there are no novel treatments because of the slow progress in understanding of the neurobiology of emotions. Hypothesis of dysfunctional neurotransmitter systems is another attitude which supposes that anxiety disorders are related with anomalous functionality of particular neurotransmitter systems. All the more the exact definition of dysfunctional neurotransmitter system is unclear and not without confounding factors. There is no direct correlation between specific neurotransmitter systems and an anxiety disorder has been established. Already existing anxiolytic drugs such as benzodiazepines (BZs) and selective serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been industrialized...