Pharmacological evaluation of the anxiolytic-like effects of EMD 386088, a partial 5-HT6 receptor agonist, in the rat elevated plus-maze and Vogel conflict tests

•EMD 386088 produced an anxiolytic-like effect in rats after i.p. administration.•Its anxiolytic-like activity seems to be due to direct activation of 5-HT6 receptors.•GABA/BZD system is not involved in mechanism of anxiolytic-like activity of EMD 386088.

The 5-HT6 is one of the most recent additions to the 5-HT receptor family. Its pharmacological profile and anatomical distribution is suggestive of a putative role in mood disorders. Most of preclinical evidence suggests an anxiolytic-like action of 5-HT6 receptor antagonists.Evaluation the anxiolytic-like effects of EMD 386088, a partial 5-HT6receptor agonist, and its putative mechanism of action in rats.EMD 386088, administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 2.5 mg/kg evoked specific anxiolytic-like activity in the automated version of the conflict drinking Vogel and the elevated plus-maze tests visible by increasing all parameters indicating a potential anti-anxiety effect. Its activity was blocked by the selective 5-HT6 receptor antagonist SB 271046, but not by the selective GABAA/benzodiazepine receptor antagonist flumazenil. EMD 386088 did not intensify an anxiolytic-like effect produced by diazepam in the elevated plus-maze test.These findings suggest that EMD 386088, a 5-HT6 receptor agonist, produces anxiolytic-like activity after systemic administration which may result from direct stimulation of 5-HT6 receptors.