Combined Action of Benzodiazepine Tranquiizers and the Peptide Anxiolytic Selank on BALB/с Mice

Currently, the most common anxiolytic drugs are benzodiazepine tranquilizers, whose therapeutic effect is mediated by interaction with the allosteric binding site on GABA receptors. Despite the high efficiency of benzodiazepines, they are characterised by side effects associated with the sedative and muscle relaxant action. Therefore, the problem of optimising the therapy of anxiety disorders using benzodiazepine tranquilizers remains relevant. The aim of this study was to experimentally verify the efficacy and safety of the combined use of benzodiazepine tranquilizers and Selank, a peptide anxiolytic registered in the Russian Federation. The study was carried out in male Balb/c mice, which were initially characterised by an elevated level of anxiety. All drugs were administered intraperitoneally. As a result, it was shown that when administered together with diazepam and mezapam, Selank increases the number of exits and the time spent by mice in the open arms of the “elevated plus maze” compared to animals that received tranquilizers alone. This can be explained by the enhancement of the anxiolytic effect of tranquilizers by Selank and the antisedative effect of the peptide drug. To clarify the mechanism of the observed effect, the motor activity of mice was tested under stress-free conditions in the automated Rat-O-Matic system. Under these conditions, Selank blocked the suppression of motor activity in mice that received therapeutic doses of diazepam and olanzapine, but not haloperidol. Thus, animal experiments have shown that Selank enhances the anxiolytic effect and weakens the sedative and muscle relaxant effects of benzodiazepine tranquilizers.