The growing consumption of beverages with high caffeine content can result in the appearance of symptoms from anxiety disorder induced by this drug. Currently, it has been used as a pharmacological caffeine inductor anxiety-like behavior and this
induction may help facilitate better understanding of the relationship between
behavioral changes and the mechanisms involved in this effect. Therefore, this study
proposed that the nitrergic pathway could be a key mechanism to explain the behavioral
effects produced by caffeine and that these effects could be reversed by an antioxidant,
hence, the present work we had to evaluate the possible effect of L –NAME and -
tocopherol expanded in anxiety-like behavior by caffeine in light/dark preference (LDP)
test and novel tank dividing (NTD) test in Daniorerio. Zebrafish fish species (N=178)
used were divided into the following experimental groups: SAL - 0.9% saline; CAF -
Caffeine 100 mg/kg; DMSO - dimethylsulfoxide 0.1% ; L-NAME - (N -nitro -L -
arginine methyl ester hydrochloride) 10 mg/kg; TF - -tocopherol 1 mg/kg (received
only one injection by i.p.); SAL + SAL; DMSO + SAL; SAL + CAF , L-NAME +
SALT , L-NAME + CAF ; TF + CAF, received two followed injections, one injection
of each substance in the form of co-treatment, by i.p. The animals were submitted to the
light/dark preference test and novel tank dividing test. All tests were filmed and the
videos were evaluated using X-PLO-RAT. Data were expressed as mean ± SEM. The
normality test was applied using the Shapiro-Wilk test and the ANOVA parametric test
one-way with Tukey post-hoc, with the significance level set at p<0.05. The -
tocopherol at a dose of 1 mg/kg, reversed all anxiety-like behavior parameters expanded
by caffeine in LDP and NTD tests and this effect was similar to that observed when
given one inhibitor of the enzyme nitric oxide synthase (NOS), L- NAME. Therefore,
this study first demonstrated that the behavioral effect magnified by caffeine in scotaxis
test and DVN test can be modulated by the nitrergic pathway and that the -tocopherol
reverses completely this anxiety-like behavioral effect induced by caffeine.
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