Role of Allopregnanolone Biosynthesis in Acute Stress-Induced Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Mice
April 2017
in “
Synapse
”
TLDR Blocking allopregnanolone production in mice makes them more anxious after stress, but this can be reversed with a drug that mimics allopregnanolone.
The study investigated the role of allopregnanolone (ALLO) biosynthesis in anxiety-like behaviors induced by acute stress in mice. Mice subjected to 2 hours of immobilization stress did not show significant behavioral changes in anxiety tests compared to non-stressed mice. However, mice pretreated with finasteride, an inhibitor of ALLO biosynthesis, exhibited significant anxiety-like behaviors. The ALLO mimetic drug alfaxalone counteracted the effects of finasteride, reducing anxiety-like behaviors without affecting muscle tone, unlike diazepam. These findings suggested that ALLO biosynthesis played a role in stress resistance and that alfaxalone could be a promising anxiolytic without the muscle-relaxant effects of benzodiazepines.
