Anxiolytic-like effects of oleamide in group-housed and socially isolated mice.
Oleamide (cis-9,10-octadecenoamide) is an endogenous sleep-inducing lipid and prototypic member of a new class of biological signaling molecules identified in recent years. In the present study, the anxiolytic-like effect of oleamide was studied in several experimental models of anxiety in group-housed and socially isolated mice. As the results show, socially isolated mice exhibited an anxiogenic-like profile in the elevated plus-maze test, the light/dark test, and the hole-board test, which could be significantly reversed by oleamide (10 or 20 mg/kg, i.p.). Moreover, oleamide significantly reduced the anxiety levels in grouped-housed mice. In the isolation-induced aggressive test, oleamide markedly reduced the attacking duration and increased the attacking latency. It is concluded that oleamide has an anxiolytic-like effect in socially isolated or group-housed mice, which suggests that fatty acid amides might be involved in the regulation of anxiety-related behavior in mice.
Wei
Xiu Yan
XY
Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 110016 Shenyang, PR China.
Yang
Jing Yu
JY
Dong
Ying Xu
YX
Wu
Chun Fu
CF
D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000523:psychology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D003975:Diazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D009829:Oleic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D012934:Social Isolation / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology
D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D009829:Oleic Acids; C029407:oleylamide; D003975:Diazepam