title: Anxiolytic-like actions of reboxetine, venlafaxine and endurance swimming in stressed male rats.
abstract: Despite being potent anxiolytic agents, benzodiazepines (BDZ) sometimes show reduced therapeutic efficacy in stressed rodents. However, the effectiveness of norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (NRI) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI) or other anxiolytic interventions, e.g., exercise, remained elusive. Here, we demonstrated that male rats subjected to restraint stress for 4 weeks showed decreases in percent open arm time and open arm entry, as determined by elevated plus-maze test (EPM). Increases in inhibitory avoidance trial 2 and outer zone time were also observed in elevated T-maze (ETM) and open field test (OFT), respectively. To evaluate the anxiolytic-like actions of exercise and anxiolytic drugs, stressed rats were subjected for 4 weeks to swimming or daily gavage with 2mg/kg diazepam (BDZ), or 10mg/kg fluoxetine (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor), reboxetine (NRI), or venlafaxine (SNRI). In EPM, the open arm activity was higher in the swimming, reboxetine-treated and venlafaxine-treated groups as compared to age-matched controls, while diazepam and fluoxetine were without effect. In ETM, a reduction in avoidance latency was observed only in swimming and venlafaxine-treated groups. However, the combined swimming and pharmacological treatment showed no additive anxiolytic-like effect. It could be concluded that restraint stress induced anxiety-like behaviors, which were not responsive to diazepam or fluoxetine, whereas reboxetine, venlafaxine and swimming showed anxiolytic-like actions in stressed rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.
authors.forename: Sarawut
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lapmanee
authors.forename: Narattaphol
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Charoenphandhu
authors.forename: Nateetip
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Krishnamra
authors.forename: Jantarima
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Charoenphandhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000188:drug therapy*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D003511:Cyclohexanols / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009025:Morpholines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000523:psychology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000077593:Reboxetine; D012149:Restraint, Physical; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000187:drug effects*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000188:drug therapy; D013550:Swimming / Q000523:psychology*; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D003511:Cyclohexanols; D009025:Morpholines; D000069470:Venlafaxine Hydrochloride; D000077593:Reboxetine