Aim: To investigate the effects of two serotonin receptor antagonists on spontaneous behavior in rats.
Material and method: The experiment was carried out on white male Wistar rats (150-200g) divided into 3 groups of 6 animals each, treated intraperitoneally with the same volume of solution as follows: Group I (Control): saline solution 0.1 ml/10 g weight; Group II (SB-269970): SB-269970 1 mg/kbw; Group III (NAN-190): NAN-190 1 mg/kbw. The effects of serotonin receptor antagonists on the spontaneous psychomotor skills of rats were tested in Actimeter LE-8811 (PanLab). The data were presented as mean +/- standard deviation and significance was tested by SPSS Statistics for Windows version 17.0 and ANOVA method. The experimental protocol was implemented according to the guidelines for handling and use of experimental animals of the Research Ethics Committee of the Iasi "Grigore T. Popa" University and ethical standards of the European Community.
Results: The 5HT1 serotonin receptor antagonist NAN-190 determined a statistically significant reduction (p < 0.01) in both horizontal and vertical movements as compared with the control group, whereas the 5HT7 serotonin receptor antagonist SB269970 had no influence on rat behavioral manifestations.
Conclusions: In our experimental conditions 1 mg/kbw NAN-190 decreased the total escape attempts, corresponding to a significant diminution of exploratory and self-maintenance spontaneous behavior in this experimental animal model. These manifestations may be correlated with the anxiolytic effect of 5HT1 serotonin receptor antagonist NAN-190 in rats. The administration of 5HT7 serotonin receptor antagonist SB-269970 did not alter the spontaneous activity in this behavioral experimental model in rats.