Benzodiazepine receptor-mediated behavioral effects of nitrous oxide in the rat social interaction test

The present study was conducted to ascertain whether an anxiolytic effect of nitrous oxide was demonstrable in rats using the social interaction test and whether this drug effect might be mediated by benzodiazepine receptors. Compared to behavior of vehicle-pretreated, room air-exposed rats, rat pairs exposed to nitrous oxide showed a generally inverted U-shaped dose-response curve with the maximum increase in social interaction encounters occurring at 25% and significant increase in time of active social interaction at 15-35%; higher concentrations produced a sedative effect that reduced social interaction. Treatment with 5.0 mg/kg of the anxiolytic benzodiazepine chlordiazepoxide also increased social interaction. Pretreatment with 10 mg/kg of the benzodiazepine receptor blocker flumazenil, which alone had no effect, significantly antagonized the social interaction-increasing effects of both nitrous oxide and chlordiazepoxide. In summary, these findings suggest that nitrous oxide produces a flumazenil-sensitive effect comparable to that of chlordiazepoxide and implicate central benzodiazepine mechanisms in mediation of the anxiolytic effect of nitrous oxide.