Rationale: Several lines of evidence indicate that the neurosteroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is involved in anxiety. BNN27 is a new DHEA derivative lacking steroidogenic effects. The beneficial effects exerted by BNN27 in preclinical models of schizophrenia and memory disorders have been recently reported.
Objectives: The present study was designed to investigate the effects of this DHEA novel analog on anxiety-like behavior in rats.
Methods: To this end, the light/dark box, the open field, the contextual fear conditioning, and the excessive self-grooming induced by the serotonin 5-HT2c receptor agonist mCPP tests were utilized.
Results: Animals treated acutely with BNN27 (1, 3, and 6 mg/kg) dose dependently spent more time in the bright compartment of the light/dark box and in the central zone of the open field with respect to their vehicle-treated cohorts. Further, BNN27 reduced freezing behavior and weakened the mCPP-induced excessive self-grooming.
Conclusions: Our data indicate that BNN27 is a highly potent anxiolytic agent, as in all studied paradigms it showed anxiolytic-like effects in male rats.
Keywords: Anxiety; BNN27; DHEA; Rat.
© 2023. The Author(s).