Cardiology Letters 2018, 27(3):143-147

Potential anxiolytic effect of melatonin on intact and L-NAME hypertensive rats

Aziriová S¹, Krajčírovičová K¹, Baka T¹, Repová K¹, Paulis Ľ¹, Šimko F^{1, 2, 3}

¹ Ústav patologickej fyziológie, Lekárska fakulta, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave

² III. interná kliniky, Lekárska fakulta, Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave

³ Ústav experimentálnej endokrinológie, BMC, Slovenská akadémia vied v Bratislave, Slovenská republika

Aims: The mutual interrelation between cardiovascular diseases and anxiety disorder has been frequently discussed. The aim of this study was to show whether L-NAME (N[omega]-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester)-induced hypertension could induce behavioural disturbances in rats and whether these potential disorders could be modified by chronic treatment with melatonin.

Material and Methods: 12-week-old male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups (n = 10 per group): control, melatonin (10 mg/kg/day p.o.), L-NAME (40 mg/kg/day p.o.), L-NAME + melatonin. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured by non-invasive plethysmography once a week. Elevated plus maze (EPM) and light/ dark box (LDB) tests were used for investigation of anxiety behaviour.

Results: L-NAME administration induced the increase in SBP and melatonin in part prevented hypertension development. L-NAME did not induce anxiety-like behaviour in rats. Melatonin in normotensive rats significantly increased the time spent in the light part of LDB, and the number of transitions in LDB. Melatonin also increased the number of transitions into the open arms in EPM in L-NAME hypertensive rats.

Conclusion: L-NAME-induced hypertension did not induce anxiety-like behaviour in rats. Melatonin induced potential anxiolytic behaviour in controls and in L-NAME hypertensive rats. Fig. 2, Ref. 29, on-line full text (Free, PDF) www.cardiologyletters.sks.sk

Keywords: L-NAME; hypertension; behaviour; anxiety; melatonin

Published: March 1, 2018  Show citation