Effects of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-activating alkaloids on anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Alkaloids are a structurally complex group of natural products that have a diverse range of biological activities and significant therapeutic applications. In this study, we examined the acute, anxiolytic-like effects of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-activating alkaloids with reported neuropharmacological effects but whose effects on anxiety are less well understood. Because α4β2 nAChRs can regulate anxiety, we first demonstrated the functional activities of alkaloids on these receptors in vitro. Their effects on anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish were then examined using the zebrafish novel tank test (NTT). The NTT is a relatively high-throughput behavioral paradigm that takes advantage of the natural tendency of fish to dive down when stressed or anxious. We report for the fir

SUBMITTER: Alzualde A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8397634 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature