Acute effects of barakol and serotonergic drugs on exploratory behaviour in rats

Barakol (10 mg/kg, i.p.), an active ingredient extracted from Cassia siamea, has been shown to have anxiolytic properties on the elevated plus-maze at a low dose similar to diazepam and to increase exploratory and locomotor behaviour. Drugs increasing serotonergic function also alter exploratory activity. The mechanism underlying the effects of barakol on exploratory behaviour has not been studied, therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate exploratory activity in rats treated with barakol compared with drugs known to have specific action on the 5HT system. Exploratory behaviours were monitored in the rat using the holeboard model. The results show that the 5HT1A receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT (1 mg/kg, i.p.) significantly (

Mechanisms underlying the antidepressant properties of St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum)

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S HORT RE P ORT Comparison between ECL and ELISA for the detection of salivary cortisol and determination of the relationship between cortisol in saliva and serum measured by ECL

ABSTRACT: Salivary cortisol has been increasingly used as a stress biomarker since saliva sampling induces less additional stress than blood sampling. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) has been commonly used to measure salivary cortisol in stress related research. Recently, electrochemiluminescence (ECL), a routine immunoassay analyser, has been suggested to measure salivary cortisol. Therefore, the aims of this study are: (1) to compare salivary cortisol level measured by ELISA and ECL and (2) to determine the relationship between salivary cortisol and serum cortisol measured by ECL. Both salivary and serum samples were collected from 83 volunteers for cortisol measurement by ECL analysis. The salivary cortisol value was 3% of that of the serum cortisol. For ECL, the positive correlation between salivary and serum cortisol levels was significant (r = 0.84; p < 0.001). The measurement by two different methods did not show any significant difference (p = 0.5497). The correlation of salivary cortisol values measured by both techniques was significant (r = 0.81; p < 0.001). The result suggests that ECL seems to be more practical and cheaper for salivary cortisol measurement

Anxiety-like behaviour and <i>c-fos</i> expression in rats that inhaled vetiver essential oil

<div><p>Vetiver essential oil (VEO) has been used in aromatherapy for relaxation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of VEO on an anxiety-related behavioural model (the elevated plus-maze, EPM) and immediate-early gene <i>c-fos</i> in amygdala, known to be involved in anxiety. Male Wistar rats were administered diazepam (1 mg/kg i.p.) for 30 min or inhalated with VEO (1%, 2.5% or 5% w/w) for 7 min prior to exposure to the EPM. Then, the effects of 2.5% VEO, the anxiolytic dose, on c-<i>fos</i> expression in amygdala were investigated. The rats given either 2.5% VEO or diazepam exhibited an anxiolytic-like profile in the EPM. VEO and diazepam significantly increased <i>c-fos</i> expression in the lateral division of the central amygdaloid nucleus (CeL). Therefore, the anxiolytic properties of VEO might be associated with altering neuronal activation in CeL. However, future studies are needed to investigate the precise mechanism of action of VEO.</p></div