The effects of prolonged rose odor inhalation in two animal models of anxiety

• Published in: Physiology & behavior 2007-12, Vol.92 (5), p.931-938
• Main Authors: Bradley, B.F, Starkey, N.J, Brown, S.L, Lea, R.W
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Analysis of Variance; Animals; Anti-Anxiety Agents - therapeutic use; Anxiety; Anxiety - drug therapy; Anxiety - physiopathology; Behavior, Animal; Behavioral psychophysiology; Biological and medical sciences; Black white box; Choice Behavior - drug effects; Diazepam; Diazepam - therapeutic use; Disease Models, Animal; Elevated plus maze; Essential oil; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gerbillinae; Gerbils; Inhalation - drug effects; Inhalation - physiology; Male; Maze Learning - drug effects; Medical sciences; Neuropharmacology; Odorants; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Psychiatry; Psycholeptics: tranquillizer, neuroleptic; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychopharmacology; Rosa; Rosa - chemistry; Rose oil; Sex Factors; Statistics, Nonparametric; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0031-9384; 1873-507X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.06.023

Abstract Aim To investigate the anxiolytic effects of prolonged rose odor exposure, mature gerbils were exposed to acute (24 h), chronic (2 week) rose odor, or a no odor condition. Anxiolytic effects were assessed using the elevated plus maze and black white box. Rose odor profiles were compared with diazepam (1 mg/kg) i.p. The Jonckheere–Terpstra test was used, with the Mann–Whitney U test to examine significant group differences. In the elevated plus maze, spatiotemporal measures, altered by diazepam, were unaffected by rose oil, whereas exploration, increased (headdip frequency: acute U = 100, p < 0.001; chronic U = 13, p < 0.001). In the black white box, rose oil had anxiolytic spatiotemporal and exploratory behavior effects: latency to move from the white to the black compartment (acute U = 182, p < 0.01, chronic U = 179, p < 0.05), percentage time in the white compartment (acute U = 168, p < 0.01, chronic U = 149, p < 0.01) and exploration, rear-sniff frequency white (acute U = 100, p < 0.001; chronic U = 99, p < 0.001) increased. The percentage of time in the dark area decreased (acute U = 160, p < 0.01, chronic U = 178, p < 0.05). This anxiolytic profile strengthened after chronic exposure to rose odor, transitions between the compartments ( U = 167, p < 0.01) and percentage of time moving around the arena ( U = 154, p < 0.001) increased. Conclusion This profile was more representative of modern anxiolytics, for example some serotonergic agents, rather than benzodiazepine type drugs.