BEHAVIORAL ACTIVITY IN EXPERIMENTAL METABOLIC SYNDROME AND DURING TREATMENT WITH COMPLEX PHYTOADAPTOGENS

The aim of the study was to evaluate behavioral disorders in experimental metabolic syndrome and the possibility of treatment with complex phytoadaptogens (CPhA). The experiment was carried out on 30 male Wistar rats randomly divided into 3 groups: control (Group 1), metabolic syndrome (MS, Group 2), and treatment of metabolic syndrome with CPhA (Group 3). In Groups 2 and 3, the animals were on a diet high in carbohydrates and fats for 16 weeks. Group 3 animals received CPhA for 14 days with drinking water after 16 weeks of the diet. CPhA consist of standard tinctures of Glycyrrhiza glabra, Rhodiola rosea, Acantopanax senticosus in a ratio of 1:2:1. Behavior was analyzed in the open field test (OFT) and the elevated plus maze (EPM), using Realtimer software (OpenScience, Russia). Data were analyzed using GrafPadPrism 8.03 software (USA). The experiment demonstrated that metabolic syndrome is associated with increased anxiety (decrease in horizontal (p=0.017) and vertical (p=0.017) locomotor activity) and fear (increase in immobility time (p=0.011)) in the OFT. Increased anxiety of animals (decreased open arm time (p=0.012) and increased closed arm time (p=0.043)) and emotional stress (increased frequency of defecation (0.017)) relative to control are also confirmed by EPM data. The data obtained in the treatment group (no significant differences with the control), i.e., a decrease in the manifestations of fear and anxiety (increased orientation and exploratory activity), indicate that the complex phytoadaptogens are an effective anxiolytic. The mechanisms that led to this result remain to be explored, highlighting the role of the autonomic nervous system, leptin and ghrelin in behavior and the effect of the complex phytoadaptogens on them.