Effect of <i>Citrus aurantium</i> L. Essential Oil and Its Interaction with Fluoxetine on Anxiety in Male Mice

Abstract

Anxiety is a very common mental disorder among neurological diseases. Some herbs have soothing effects and play an important role in reducing anxiety. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of Citrus aurantium L. essential oil on anxiety and its interference with serotonergic pathway. Sixty male mice were assigned into control, sham (saline and olive oil), and experimental groups. Intraperitoneal injection of Citrus aurantium L. essential oil was applied at doses of 0.5, 2.5, and 5 percent for 5 days. In another set of experiments, after intraperitoneal injection of Citrus aurantium L. essential oil at doses of 0.5, 2.5, and 5 percent for 5 days, on the 5 th day, 30 minutes before applying essential oil, fluoxetine (2 mg/kg) was injected. Then, the anxiety-related behavior was assessed using elevated plus maze test. The results revealed that injection of essential oil of Citrus aurantium L. alone or along with fluoxetine led to increasing the number of entries into the open arms and the time spent in open arms that was significantly different compared with control and sham groups (P ＜ 0.001). Besides, further effects revealed when fluoxetine added to essential oils, however no more effects obtained when compared to fluoxetine alone. It is concluded that Citrus aurantium L. essential oil can reduce the anxiety in male mice and due to fluoxetin potentiation and maximum response observed, the herb may express its anxiolytic effects in part, via serotonergic system.