Fig. 3: Anxiolytic-like effect of oxytocin is potentiated by CTAP in male and female mice in the elevated zero maze.
From: µ-Opioid receptor antagonism facilitates the anxiolytic-like effect of oxytocin in mice
Six experimental groups were tested as VEH + VEH (n, males = 11, females = 10), VEH + CTAP-3 (n, males = 9, females = 8), VEH + OXT (n, males = 14, females = 10), CTAP-1 + OXT (n, males = 11, females = 11), CTAP-2 + OXT (n, males = 8, females = 7) and CTAP-3 + OXT (n, males = 9, females = 8). Open zone occupancy (A), entries (C), and total distance traveled (E) were increased by oxytocin treatment (500 ng/mouse OXT; intracerebroventricular infusion) compared with vehicle treatment (VEH; saline) in male and female vehicle-pretreated mice. Data are presented as means ± standard errors of the means. CTAP pretreatment (1-3 μg/mouse; intracerebroventricular infusion) potentiated the effect of oxytocin on open zone occupancy (A) but not open zone entries (C), or total distance traveled (E). CTAP pretreatment had no effect on open zone occupancy (A), open zone entries (C) nor total distance traveled (E) compared with vehicle pretreatment in vehicle-treated mice. Separate male and female data for open zone occupancy (B), entries (D), and total distance traveled (F) are also shown. αp < 0.05, difference from VEH + VEH; βp < 0.05, difference from VEH + OXT, via two-way ANOVAs.
