1 Department of Human Physiology, Medical Academy, Lublin, Poland
2 Institute of Pharmacology, Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, Moscow, Russia
Effects of the new benzodiazepin derivate (BD-1158) on the behaviour of rabbits under spontaneous conditions and in stress situation were investigated.
The stress was caused by electrical stimulation of ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (VMH) at the beginning of every 10 minutes period. Electrical stimulation was continued until escape reaction occurred. Animals were controlled during 3 hours every day of the experiment. The behavioural structure in every 10 minutes in the phases of tension, orientation-searching, grooming, comfort, water and food uptake was estimated. Duration of each phase was given in seconds. BD-1158 diluted in 1 ml of the 1% starch solution in the dose of 10 mg/kg was administrated intraperitoneally 30 minutes before experiment.
The derivative of benzodiazepin shortened the tension phase for 3 hours in spontaneous conditions and after the stimulations of VMH. The changes were statistically significant (p<0.05). It prolonged the comfort phase in both conditions (p<0.05) and reduced food uptake (p<0.05). The orientation-searching phase was extended significantly in spontaneous conditions (p<0.05). BD-1158 exerted no effects on the rooming phase and water uptake.
To sum up, intraperitoneal administration of BD-1158 changed the structure of behaviour of rabbits in spontaneous and stress conditions (caused the electrical stimulation of VMH) in this way that it relieved the emotional positive phase (comfort) against the negative tension phase. It exerted anxiolytic and sedative effects in both situations, but influence on behaviour of rabbits is significantly stronger in spontaneous conditions than in stress.