title: Anxiolytic properties of botanical extracts in the chick social separation-stress procedure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The recent growth in sales of natural products labeled as dietary supplements in the United States has renewed scientific interest in the study of the therapeutic effects of multi-component botanical products.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study sought to determine whether botanical extracts derived from the Rutaceae family, Acori graminei, the Magnoliaceae family, Alchemilla vulgaris and Primula veris, which had previously been identified in bioassays as having potential anxiolytic activity, were active in the chick social separation-stress procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eight-day-old chicks received IP injections of test articles 30 min before being tested in the presence of two social companions or in isolation for a 3-min observation period. Dependent measures were: a) latency to adopt a ventral recumbent posture to index sedation, b) number of vocalizations to index separation-distress and c) a composite pain score (comprised of footlift frequency and footlift duration in response to 50 microl of 0.10% formalin injected into the plantar surface of the foot) to index stress-induced analgesia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Proprietal extracts NPS00033 from the Rutaceae plant family and NPS00039 (Relora) from the Magnoliaceae plant family screened positive in this chick model without causing sedation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that botanical extracts Relora and NPS00033 may be useful in modulating anxiety states.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Mississippi, Oxford 38677, USA. pysufka@olemiss.edu
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Sufka
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Roach
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Chambliss
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Broom
authors.forename: M W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Feltenstein
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Wyandt
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zeng
mesh_terms: D000698:Analgesia; D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001010:Anxiety, Separation / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts