Anxiolytic Effect of Borago officinalis (Boraginaceae) Extract in Male Rats

Background: Medicinal plants with natural antioxidants have been shown to be beneficial in a variety of complications such as anxiety. The elevated plus-maze (EPM) is one of the most widely used models to assess anxiety in small rodents. Objectives: This study was designed to characterize the anxiolytic-like activity of Borago officinalis (Linnaeus, family Boraginaceae) or Borage flowers extract, using an EPM test. Materials and Methods: Male Wistar rats weighing 220-250 grams were used in the present study. Thirty minutes after an intraperitoneal (IP) injection of the Borage extract (50, 100, 200 mg/kg) or saline, each animal was placed in the EPM. Animal behaviors in the experimental sessions were recorded by a video camera located above the maze, interfaced with a monitor and a computer in an adjacent room. The time spent in the open arms, the percentage of entries into the open arms of the EPM and the numbers of entries into the closed arms were recorded for five minutes. Results: Statistical analysis indicated that acute IP injection of Borage extract before an EPM trial significantly increased the time spent in open arms and percentage of open arms entries. Whereas, the extract had no effect on the number of closed arm entries. Conclusions: Our results demonstrated that injection of Borage extract might have an anxiolytic profile in rats. However, the exact mechanism (s) related to the active compound (s) in Borage extract should be elucidated in future studies.