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Influence of inflammatory nociception on the anxiolytic-like effect of diazepam and buspirone in rats

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Abstract

Rationale

The effect of anxiety on nociception has been evaluated but not that of nociception on anxiety.

Objective

The study was conducted to analyse the influence of nociception on basal levels of anxiety-like behaviour and on the action of anxiolytic drugs.

Methods

Nociception was induced by an intra-articular injection of uric acid at 3.75 or 7.5%. Experimental anxiety was determined in the rat burying behaviour and the elevated plus maze tests. To separate specific anxiety-related drug actions, a spontaneous ambulatory test was included. The anxiolytics, buspirone (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) and diazepam (0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg, i.p.), were used.

Results

In the nociception test, the pain-induced functional impairment rat model, uric acid at 3.75 and 7.5% had an effect of around 35 and 75%, respectively. Uric acid (UA) at the lower dose (3.75%) lacked an effect on burying behaviour but significantly increased the time spent and number of entries to the open arms; the higher UA dose (7.5%) produced a significant increase in the time spent and number of entries to the open arms and a statistically significant reduction in cumulative burying. Diazepam and buspirone produced a clear dose-dependent reduction in cumulative burying. In the plus maze, diazepam also induced an increase in the time spent and number of entries to the open arms. In the burying behaviour test, rats with a mild level of nociception (uric acid at 7.5%) were insensitive to the anxiolytic-like effect of these anxiolytic drugs. In the plus maze test, the anxiolytic-like effect of diazepam (1.0 mg/kg) was blocked under both levels of nociception.

Conclusions

These data demonstrate that nociception modifies the response to anxiolytic drugs. The role of factors with anxiogenic properties produced during inflammation, which may modify diazepam and buspirone effects, is discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Mr. Facundo Moreno for technical assistance and Mr. Bryan Phillips for language review. This study was partially supported by a grant from Conacyt (number 39800-M) to A.F.-G. and L.M.-M.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Farmacobiología, Centro de Investigación y Estudios Avanzados del IPN, Calz. de los Tenorios 235, Col. Granjas Coapa, Mexico, 14330, DF, Mexico

    A. Fernández-Guasti, R. Reyes & F. J. López-Muñoz

  2. Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Mexico, DF, Mexico

    L. Martínez-Mota

Authors
  1. A. Fernández-Guasti
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  2. R. Reyes
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  3. L. Martínez-Mota
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  4. F. J. López-Muñoz
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Correspondence to A. Fernández-Guasti.

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Fernández-Guasti, A., Reyes, R., Martínez-Mota, L. et al. Influence of inflammatory nociception on the anxiolytic-like effect of diazepam and buspirone in rats. Psychopharmacology 180, 399–407 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-005-2190-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-005-2190-x

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