Effect of Astragalus physodes extract on animal behavioral responses under «social» stress

Abstract

An experimental study is devoted to the investigation of the effect of extract Astragalus physodes on the behavioral reactions of laboratory animals in conditions of «social» stress. Material and methods. The work was carried out toward white outbred male rats of 6–8 months of age. All animals were divided into groups ( n = 10): 1 – intact rats, which were singly in the cell (control group); 2 – animals exposed to «social» stress (victims/aggressors); 3 – individuals exposed to «social» stress and received extract Astragalus physodes by intragastric gavage at a dose of 50 mg/kg/day for 14 days, starting from the 21 days of the experiment (victims/aggressors). «Social» stress was modeled by the formation of aggressive (aggressors) and submissive (victim) types of behavior in conditions of paired sensory contact. In studying the behavioral reactions of rats, psychopharmacological tests were used in the standard modification: «Elevated plus maze» and «Tail hanging». Results and discussion. In conditions of «social» stress, in the tests «Elevated plus maze» and «Tail hanging» among aggressors and victims, there is an increase in the level of anxiety and depression, which is manifested in a decrease in the number of rearing, the time spent on the open arms of the labyrinth. The results of the study indicate the ability of the herb extract Astragalus physodes under conditions of «social» stress to level the state of anxiety, which is manifested in an increase in the motor and approximate research activity of laboratory animals. Conclusions. Thus, the herb extract Astragalus physodes eliminates the increased anxiety generated under the influence of stressogenic effects, thereby exhibiting psychomodulatory properties, which actualizes further in-depth pharmacological studies of this extract with the aim of possibly creating medicinal preparations based on it.