ANXIOLYTIC EFFECTS OF DIAZEPAM AND AFOBAZOLE ON THE ANXIETY RESPONSE EVOKED BY GABA(A) RECEPTOR BLOCKADE IN WISTAR RATS AND INBRED MICE OF Balb/c AND C57BI/6 STRAINS.

The anxyolitic effects of diazepam and afobazole on the anxiety model caused by subconvulsive doses of pentylenetetrazole have been studied in the open field test and drug discrimination in rodents. It is found that diazepam (I and 5 mg/kg, i.p.) and afobazole (1 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced the pentylenetetrazole-induced (20 mg/kg, i.p.) anxiety in Wistar rats in the open field test. Only diazepam (1 mg/kg, i.p.) in Balb/c mice and only afobazole (1 mg/kg, i.p.) in C57B11/6 mice decreased anxiety caused by pentylenetetrazole (30 mg/kg, i.p.). Afobazole (20 mg/kg, i.p.) partially inhibited the effect of pentylenetetrazole (20 mg/kg, i.p.) in drug discrimination paradigm in Wistar rats learned in the Skinner box, in contrast to diazepam (5 mg/kg, i.p.) that fully blocked the stimulus properties of non-competitive GABA(A) receptor antagonist. The obtained results suggest that restorative effects of diazepam and afobazole on pentylenetetrazole-induced anxiety depend on the type of emotional stress reaction in rodent species and mice strains, though anxiogenic effects of pentylenetetrazole are not influenced by interstrain differences.