Buspirone along with melatonin attenuates oxidative damage and anxiety-like behavior in a mouse model of immobilization stress

AIM: Stress is recognized to precipitate anxiety and related psychological problems characterized by a wide range of biochemical and behavioral changes. The present study was carried out to investigate the protective effects of melatonin and buspirone, and their combination, against six hours immobilization stress-induced, anxiety-like behavioral and oxidative damage in mice. METHOD: Male Laca mice were pre-treated with melatonin (2.5, 5 mg.kg(-1)), buspirone (5, 10 mg.kg(-1)), and their combination for consecutive five days. On the 681 day, animals were immobilized for six hours, and thereafter various behavioral tests were performed followed by biochemical tests. RESULTS: Immobilization stress significantly impaired body weight, locomotor activity, and caused anxiety-like behavior, along with increased oxidative damage. Pretreatment with melatonin and buspirone significantly improved the loss in body weight and locomotor activity, attenuated anxiety-like behavior (in both the mirror chamber and plus maze performance tasks), further restored the levels of brain total proteins, and caused antioxidant-like effects, as evidenced by reduced lipid peroxidation, nitrite concentration, and restoration of reduced glutathione and catalase activity, as compared to control animals. In addition, combination of melatonin (2.5, 5 mg.kg(-1)) with buspirone (5 mg.kg(-1)) significantly potentiated their protective effects, as compared to their effects individually. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that melatonin potentiates the beneficial effect of buspirone against immobilization stress-induced, anxiety-like behavioral and oxidative damage in mice possibly by involving a serotonergic mechanism.