Plant hormone jasmonic acid reduces anxiety behavior in mice

Anxiety disorders are a leading cause of disability worldwide and major contributors to the global disease burden. In this study, we investigated the anxiolytic-like effects of plant-derived molecules in mice. Jasmonic acid (JA), a major plant hormone, has been identified as an injury response-related hormone in higher plants. We found that the oral, intraperitoneal, and intraventricular administration of JA in mice demonstrated anxiolytic-like effects in an elevated plus maze test. Additionally, JA exhibited anxiolytic-like effects in mice undergoing open field and novel environment feeding suppression tests. In addition, we found that the anxiolytic-like effects of JA were mediated by serotonin 5-HT1A receptors and central dopamine D1 receptor systems. Our findings reveal a novel role of JA in exerting anxiolytic-like effects in animals and suggest that plant hormones, such as JA, could serve as potential compounds for treating anxiety disorders.