Evaluation of Anxiolytic Effects of Methanolic Extract of Lepidium draba L by Cross-Maze Method in Mice

Introduction: Lepidium draba L (L. draba) is one of the most valuable medicinal plants belonging to the nightshade family. This study was designed to evaluate anxiolytic effects of different doses of the methanolic extract of L. draba and also the role of benzodiazepine receptors. Method: In this study, 48 male mice weighing 25-30 g were used. The selected mice were randomly divided into 6 groups of 8. To evaluate the anxiolytic effects of methanolic extract of L. draba (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg), saline with equal volume as negative control, diazepam (2 mg/kg) as positive control and flumazenil (2 mg/kg) with high dose of extract was injected into mice to investigate the possible mechanism of the plant's anxiolytic effects, after 30 minutes they were transferred to elevated plus maze and for 5 minutes the standard indicators of anxiety assessment were observed and recorded by observing them. Instat software was used to analyze the data. The results were reported as (Mean ± SEM) and P <0.05 was considered significant. Results: The results showed that methanolic extract of plant increased the number of entry and length of stay in the open arms in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: This study shows that L. draba plant can be effective in treating anxiety probably through GABAergic system.