title: Quetiapine anxiolytic-like effect in the Vogel conflict test is serotonin dependent.
abstract: There is growing evidence to show that atypical antipsychotic quetiapine might exert an anxiolytic effect in patients. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying this effect has not yet been fully explored. Like other anxiolytic drugs, quetiapine exhibits partial agonistic activity toward serotonergic 1A (5HT1A) receptors. The involvement of the serotonin system in anxiety, particularly of 5HT1A receptors, has been widely documented. In this study we have investigated whether different doses of quetiapine (5, 10, and 30 mg/kg, oral gavage) administered to C57BL6/N mice could produce an anxiolytic effect in the Vogel conflict test, a classical model of anxiety, and whether or not the selective 5HT1A antagonist WAY100635 (0.1 mg/kg, subcutaneously) might prevent such an effect. Our results show that 10 mg/kg quetiapine exhibits an anxiolytic effect, that is, at least in part, 5HT1A-mediated, because it is completely eliminated by WAY100635.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomedical Technology, C.N.R., Section of Cagliari bPharmaNess Scarl, Pula, Italy. carla.pisu@pharmaness.it
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pisu
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pira
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D035841:Behavioral Research; D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D023421:Models, Animal; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology; D058825:Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D058829:Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D003987:Dibenzothiazepines; D058825:Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Agonists; D058829:Serotonin 5-HT1 Receptor Antagonists; D000069348:Quetiapine Fumarate; D012701:Serotonin