Rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid reduce the defensive freezing behavior of mice exposed to conditioned fear stress.
BACKGROUND
We previously showed that rosmarinic acid from the leaves of Perilla frutescens Britton var. acuta Kudo (Perillae Herba) and its major metabolite caffeic acid have antidepressive-like activity in the forced swimming test.


OBJECTIVE
The present study was designed to examine whether rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid might also be effective in other types of stress model.


METHODS
The conditioned fear stress paradigm was used as a stress model for assessing the effects of rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid.


RESULTS
Rosmarinic acid (0.25-4 mg/kg, IP) induced a dose-dependent, U-shaped reduction in the duration of the defensive freezing behavior of mice exposed to conditioned fear stress. Caffeic acid (1-8 mg/kg, IP) also dose-dependently reduced this freezing behavior. However, neither substance, at doses that produced a significant reduction in the freezing behavior, affected spontaneous motor activity.


CONCLUSIONS
These results confirm that rosmarinic acid and caffeic acid may inhibit the emotional abnormality produced by stress.
Takeda
Hiroshi
H
Department of Pharmacology and Intractable Diseases Research Center (Division of Drug Research and Development), Tokyo Medical University, 6-1-1 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-8402, Japan. ht0417@tokyo-med.ac.jp
Tsuji
Minoru
M
Miyamoto
Junichi
J
Matsumiya
Teruhiko
T
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D021461:Animals, Outbred Strains; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002109:Caffeic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002934:Cinnamates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects*; D053630:Depsides; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005239:Fear / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry; D000097123:Rosmarinic Acid
D000975:Antioxidants; D002109:Caffeic Acids; D002934:Cinnamates; D053630:Depsides; D010936:Plant Extracts; D000097123:Rosmarinic Acid; C040048:caffeic acid