Abstract:
The serotonergic system of brain is well understood to play a crucial role in emotional processing in human and
animals. 5-HT3 receptor, the ion channel type of receptor is involved in mood, anxiety, depression, learning and
memory. Objective of the present work was to investigate the anxiolytic potential of a novel 5-HT3 receptor
antagonist (4-phenylpiperazin-1-yl) (quinoxalin-2-yl) methanone (4a) in mice. Different behavioral test paradigms
for anxiety like elevated plus maze, open field test, light-dark model and hole board test were used for assessing the
effect. Diazepam 2 mg/kg i.p. served as a reference standard. From the results it was found that 4a dose dependently
at 2 and 4 mg/kg i.p. attenuated the behavioral alterations in the anxiety models in mice. The exact mechanism of 5-
HT3 receptor antagonist for anxiolytic potential is still ill understood. Our further studies will deal with mechanisms
at molecular levels for anxiolytic potential of 4a