Valtrate is a principle compound isolated from Valeriana jatamansi Jones, which is a
Traditional Chinese Medicine used to treat various
mood disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate the
anxiolytic effects of
valtrate in rats. The animals were orally administered
valtrate (5, 10, and 20 g/kg daily) for 10 days and exposed to open field test (OFT) and elevated plus-maze (EPM). Then the
corticosterone levels in the rat serum were measured by
enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The
valtrate (10 mg/kg, p.o.) exhibited the
anxiolytic effect in rats by increasing the time and entry percentage into the open arms in the EPM and the number of central entries in the OFT.
Valtrate (10 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced the
corticosterone level in the rat serum. Taken together, these results suggest that the
valtrate has
anxiolytic activity in behavioral models that might be mediated via the function of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis.