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Interactions between the nitrergic and the endocannabinoid system in rats exposed to the elevated T-maze

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 April 2021

Luara Augusta Batista Open the ORCID record for Luara Augusta Batista [Opens in a new window] ,
Fabricio de Araújo Moreira  and
Daniele Cristina de Aguiar
Luara Augusta Batista*
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Fabricio de Araújo Moreira
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Daniele Cristina de Aguiar
Affiliation:
Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
*
Author for correspondence: Luara Augusta Batista, Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) and activation of CB1 receptors have opposite effects in a behavioural animal model of panic and anxiety.

Methods:

To test the hypothesis, male Wistar rats were exposed to the elevated T-maze (ETM) model under the following treatments: L-Arginine (L-Arg) was administered before treatment with WIN55,212-2, a CB1 receptor agonist; AM251, a CB1 antagonist, was administered before treatment with L-Arg. All treatments were by intraperitoneal route.

Results:

The CB1 receptor agonist, WIN55,212-2 (1 mg/kg), induced an anxiolytic-like effect, which was prevented by pretreatment with an ineffective dose of L-Arg (1 mg/kg). Administration of AM251 (1 mg/kg), a CB1 antagonist before treatment with L-Arg (1 mg/kg) did not produce anxiogenic-like responses.

Conclusion:

Altogether, this study suggests that the anxiolytic-like effect of cannabinoids may occur through modulation of NO signalling.

Keywords

nitric oxideCB1 receptorspanicanxietycannabinoids
Type
Short Communication
Information
Acta Neuropsychiatrica , Volume 33 , Issue 4 , August 2021 , pp. 206 - 210
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Scandinavian College of Neuropsychopharmacology

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