Nishimura H, Tanaka M
Department of Pharmacology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1992 Feb;41(2):425-7. doi: 10.1016/0091-3057(92)90121-u.
The present study was undertaken to examine how the triazolobenzodiazepine derivative, alprazolam, which possesses anxiolytic activity in man and anticonflict effects in animals, could affect both the duration of immobility and the incidence of straw-climbing behavior of rats in a modified forced-swim (MFS) test. After a 5-min test of forced swimming, four straws were suspended just above the surface of the water and subsequently the straw-climbing trials were counted for 5 min as an index of escape behaviors induced by negative emotionality (anxiety and/or fear). Rats were injected IP with either alprazolam (0.1, 0.2, 1, and 2 mg/kg) or its vehicle 30 min before testing. Alprazolam prolonged the duration of immobility and inhibited the straw-climbing counts in a dose-dependent manner. This effect is in the same direction as the effect shown by an anxiolytic benzodiazepine such as diazepam. The results suggest that alprazolam may possess anxiolytic effects at lower doses, whereas at a high dose of 2 mg/kg this compound might elicit sedation, concomitantly with its anxiolytic and/or antipanic effects. In addition, it appears that alprazolam is more potent than diazepam in the MFS test following a single-injection protocol.
本研究旨在考察三唑并苯二氮䓬衍生物阿普唑仑（该药物对人具有抗焦虑活性，对动物具有抗冲突效应）在改良强迫游泳（MFS）试验中如何影响大鼠的不动时间和攀爬稻草行为的发生率。在进行5分钟的强迫游泳试验后，将四根稻草悬挂在水面上方，随后记录5分钟内大鼠攀爬稻草的次数，以此作为由负性情绪（焦虑和/或恐惧）诱发的逃避行为指标。在测试前30分钟，给大鼠腹腔注射阿普唑仑（0.1、0.2、1和2毫克/千克）或其溶媒。阿普唑仑以剂量依赖的方式延长了不动时间，并抑制了攀爬稻草的次数。这种效应与抗焦虑苯二氮䓬类药物如地西泮所显示的效应方向相同。结果表明，阿普唑仑在较低剂量时可能具有抗焦虑作用，而在2毫克/千克的高剂量时，该化合物可能会引起镇静作用，同时伴有其抗焦虑和/或抗惊恐作用。此外，在单次注射方案后的MFS试验中，阿普唑仑似乎比地西泮更有效。
