Anxiolytic/Sedative Effect of Monoterpene (–)-Borneol in Mice and In Silico Molecular Interaction with GABAA Receptor

Anxiety is a normal behavioral component. When it is too frequent or appears in inappropriate contexts, it can be considered pathological. Benzodiazepines (BDZs) are drugs with clinical success in anxiety treatment. BDZs act as allosteric modulators of the γ- aminobutyric acid A receptor (GABAAR). However, these drugs cause adverse effects. Despite the therapeutic advances obtained with BDZs, the search for anxiolytics with fewer adverse effects is ongoing. Studies with monoterpene (–)-borneol [(–)-BOR] demonstrated pharmacological properties such as a partial agonist effect of GABAAR and an anticonvulsive effect. On the other hand, no work has been developed evaluating the anxiolytic/sedative potential. The objective of this study was to investigate the anxiolytic/sedative effects of (–)-BOR in animal models at doses of 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg (i.p.) and whether there was a molecular interaction with GABAAR. The anxiolytic effect of monoterpene (–)-BOR was tested on Swiss mice (25–30 g) in three anxiety models: the elevated plus maze test, the open field test, and the light-dark box test. The thiopental-induced sleep time model was a drug screen for the sedative and hypnotic activity related to GABAARs. In the molecular docking, the interaction between the GABAAR molecule and (–)-BOR was performed using the AutoDock 4.2.6 program. The results demonstrated that (–)-BOR has sedative and anxiolytic activity. The molecular docking study revealed that (–)-BOR can interact with GABAARs through hydrogen bonds.