The effects of angelica essential oil in three murine tests of anxiety

• Published in: Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior Vol. 79; no. 2; pp. 377 - 382
• Main Authors: Chen, Si Wei, Min, Li, Li, Wei Jing, Kong, Wei Xi, Li, Jing Fang, Zhang, Yi Jing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-10-2004; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Angelica; Angelica essential oil; Angelica sinensis; Animals; Anti-Anxiety Agents - therapeutic use; Anxiety - drug therapy; Anxiety - etiology; Anxiolytic; Biological and medical sciences; Darkness; Diazepam - therapeutic use; Disease Models, Animal; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; Elevated plus-maze; Fever - drug therapy; Fever - etiology; Light; Light/dark test; Male; Maze Learning - drug effects; Medical sciences; Mice; Mouse; Neuropharmacology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phytotherapy; Plant Oils - therapeutic use; Stress, Physiological - complications; Stress-induced hyperthermia; Stress-induced hyperthermia; Mouse; Elevated plus-maze; Angelica essential oil; Anxiolytic; Light/dark test; Rodentia; Stress; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Tranquillizer; Dicotyledones; Animal; Test anxiety; Light; Angiospermae; Angelica; Spermatophyta; Essential oil; Umbelliferae; Induced hyperthermia
• ISSN: 0091-3057; 1873-5177
• DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2004.08.017

The effects of angelica essential oil in three assays predictive of anxiolytic activity in male mice were studied, with diazepam as a positive anxiolytic control. In the elevated plus-maze test, compared to the positive control diazepam, angelica essential oil (30.0 mg/kg, PO) had a modest anxiolytic-like effect (increased the percentage of open-arm time and reduced the percent protected head dips). In the light/dark test, angelica essential oil (30.0 mg/kg) prolonged the time spent in the light area without altering the locomotor activity of the animals. In the stress-induced hyperthermia test, 60 and 70 min after drug administration, rectal temperature was measured twice, angelica essential oil at the dose of 30.0 mg/kg inhibited stress-induced hyperthermia. Thus, these findings indicate that angelica essential oil, as does diazepam, exhibits an anxiolytic-like effect. Further studies will be required to assess the generality of the present findings to other species and behavioural paradigms.