Mechanisms underlying the anxiolytic action of ferulic acid

Anxiety disorders constitute a sizeable worldwide health burden with social and economic consequences. Although there are some therapies for anxiety disorders, the search for new drugs is still proceeding due to the side effects or the tolerability problems. There is an interest to the treatment with natural compounds and herbal remedies deserve attention for anxiety disorders. The aim of this thesis is to investigate the contribution of GABAergic and serotonergic modulations using GABAA antagonist flumazenil (3 mg/kg, i.p.) and 5-HT1A antagonist WAY-100635 (1 mg/kg i.p.) in the 100 mg/kg (p.o.) ferulic acid's anxiolytic action shown in the elevated plus maze, hole board and open field tests in mice. Ferulic acid presented anxiolytic effect in the hole board and open field tests and this was significantly antagonised by WAY-100635 pre-administration when it could not be reversed by flumazenil. From these findings, it was concluded that 5-HT1A-mediated serotonergic system involvement is prominent in the anxiolytic activity of ferulic acid. It can be said that ferulic acid might be a reliable potential drug candidate that can be used alone or as a combined treatment in anxiety. Due to the side effects of the drugs in use and other disadvantages, studies to determine the mechanisms of action provide an important basis for the discovery of more effective drugs. New experimental studies may be suggested to study the effects of different action mechanisms to elucidate the profile in detail and to demonstrate the benefits of combination therapies with other existing drugs.