Pharmacological modulation of anxiety-related behaviors in the murine Suok test.
We have recently introduced a new model of anxiety--the Suok test and its light-dark modification--for behavioral characterization in mice and rats, including simultaneous assessment of their anxiety, activity, and neurological phenotypes. In the present study, testing different inbred (129S1, BALB/c) and hybrid (C57-129S1) mouse strains in both Suok test modifications, we examined the effects on anxiety-related behaviours produced by traditional anxiogenic and anxiolytic drugs. Here we show dose-dependent increases in anxiety-related behaviors produced by anxiogenic drug pentylenetetrazole (10 and 20 mg/kg). In contrast, anxiolytic drugs ethanol (0.75 and 1.5 g/kg) and diazepam (0.5 mg/kg) reduced anxiety and increased mouse exploration in this test. Hyperemotional anxious BALB/c mice were particularly sensitive to pharmacogenic anxiety in Suok test, also showing robust light-dark shifts in the light-dark version of this test. Overall, the results of this study confirm the potential utility of both murine Suok tests, especially when used in selected "sensitive" mouse strains, for high-throughput screening of potential anxiotropic drugs.
Department of Anatomy, Medical School, University of Tampere, Tampere, Finland. kalueva@mail.nih.gov
A V
AV
Kalueff
T
T
Keisala
A
A
Minasyan
P
P
Tuohimaa
D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003975:Diazepam / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D000431:Ethanol / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole
D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000431:Ethanol; D003975:Diazepam; D010433:Pentylenetetrazole