Quetiapine anxiolytic-like effect in the Vogel conflict test is serotonin dependent

There is growing evidence to show that atypical antipsychotic quetiapine might exert an anxiolytic effect in patients. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying this effect has not yet been fully explored. Like other anxiolytic drugs, quetiapine exhibits partial agonistic activity toward serotonergic 1A (5HT1A) receptors. The involvement of the serotonin system in anxiety, particularly of 5HT1A receptors, has been widely documented. In this study we have investigated whether different doses of quetiapine (5, 10, and 30 mg/kg, oral gavage) administered to C57BL6/N mice could produce an anxiolytic effect in the Vogel conflict test, a classical model of anxiety, and whether or not the selective 5HT1A antagonist WAY100635 (0.1 mg/kg, subcutaneously) might prevent such an effect. Our results show that 10 mg/kg quetiapine exhibits an anxiolytic effect, that is, at least in part, 5HT1A-mediated, because it is completely eliminated by WAY100635.