Comparative study of anxiolytic-like effect of a novel herbal treatment with Diazepam on Balb/c mice

Background: The most widely prescribed medications for anxiety disorders are the Benzodiazepines; however, they have prominent side effects. Thus, interest in alternative medicine that affects the mind is growing. In Morocco folk medicine, the use of Mercurialis annua is commonly recommended for relief of anxiety, although no scientific information supporting this use is available and therefore we undertook the study to evaluate the anxiolytic potential the methanolic extract of Ma by using a battery of appropriate rodent test models.Methods: The purpose of this study was to characterize the putative anxiolytic-like effects of methanolic extract prepared from the aerial parts of Ma using the Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) and Open Field tests (OF) in mice. The methanolic extract of Ma was administered orally to Balb/c mice, at graded doses; 1H prior to behavioural assessments.Results: In the elevated plus-maze test, methanolic extract of Ma at 100 mg/kg showed an anxiolytic effect by increasing the time spent on and the number of entries into the open arms of the EPM comparable to standard anxiolytic drug, diazepam. In an open field test methanolic extract of Ma (100 mg/kg) increased the central area crossing, the time spent and number of rearing in the center of arena.Conclusions: These observations suggest that Mercurialis annua might possess significant anxiolytic potential.