ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the anti-anxiety effect of 8-alkyl-berberine in anxiety model mice and explore the mechanism. Methods: The anti-anxiety effect of 8-alkyl-berberine was evaluated with light-dark box test and elevated plus-maze (EPM). The contents of norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in brain tissue were detected by high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). Results: The light-dark box test indicated that 8-butyl-, 8-octyl-, 8-dodecyl-, and 8-hexadecyl-berberine could obviously increase the time spent in light box (P < 0.05) compared with the control group. The number of transitions in 8-octyl-berberine group was significantly increased (P < 0.05). The results of EPM showed that 8-octyl-berberine significantly increased the percentage of the times entering the open arms (OE%) and staying duration in the total period (OT%) (P < 0.05). There was variation observed in the concentration of monoamine neurotransmitters of 8-octyl-berberine. Conclusion: 8-Alkyl-berberine has a certain anxiolytic effect. The mechanism may be related to the regulation of the contents of NE, DA and 5-HT in the brain tissues.