Leiter Emily, Hitchcock Gavin, Godwin Stuart, Johnson Michelle, Sedgwick William, Jones Wendy, McCall Suzanne, Ceremuga Thomas E
William Beaumont Army Medical Center, El Paso, Texas, USA.
AANA J. 2011 Apr;79(2):109-14.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the anxiolytic effects of myristicin, a major compound found in nutmeg, and its potential interaction with the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA(A)) receptor in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Nutmeg has traditionally been used as a spice in food preparation and as an herbal remedy in the treatment of many medical conditions, including anxiety. Fifty-five rats were divided equally into 5 groups: control (vehicle); myristicin; midazolam (positive control); flumazenil and myristicin; and midazolam and myristicin. The behavioral component of anxiety was examined by using the elevated plus-maze (open-arm and closed-arm times) along with analysis of gross and fine motor movements. Data analysis was performed using a 2-tailed multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and least significant difference post-hoc test. Our data suggest that myristicin does not decrease anxiety by modulation of the GABA(A) receptor but may promote anxiogenesis. When myristicin was combined with midazolam, an antagonist-like effect similar to the flumazenil and myristicin combination was exhibited by a decrease in anxiolysis compared with the midazolam-only group. Myristicin may antagonize the anxiolytic effects of midazolam, increase anxiety, and affect motor movements.
本研究旨在探讨肉豆蔻醚（肉豆蔻中的一种主要化合物）的抗焦虑作用及其与雄性Sprague-Dawley大鼠γ-氨基丁酸（GABA(A)）受体的潜在相互作用。肉豆蔻传统上被用作食品制备中的香料以及治疗包括焦虑在内的多种疾病的草药。55只大鼠被平均分为5组：对照组（赋形剂）；肉豆蔻醚组；咪达唑仑组（阳性对照组）；氟马西尼与肉豆蔻醚组；以及咪达唑仑与肉豆蔻醚组。通过高架十字迷宫实验（开放臂和封闭臂停留时间）以及对大体和精细运动的分析来检测焦虑的行为成分。数据分析采用双尾多变量方差分析（MANOVA）和最小显著差异事后检验。我们的数据表明，肉豆蔻醚并非通过调节GABA(A)受体来减轻焦虑，反而可能促进焦虑的发生。当肉豆蔻醚与咪达唑仑联合使用时，与仅使用咪达唑仑的组相比，抗焦虑作用降低，表现出类似于氟马西尼与肉豆蔻醚联合使用的拮抗样效应。肉豆蔻醚可能拮抗咪达唑仑的抗焦虑作用，增加焦虑，并影响运动。
