6-HYDROXY-L-NICOTINE EFFECTS ON ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION
IN A RAT MODEL OF CHLORISONDAMINE
RADU IONIȚĂ1, VLAD MIHAI VALU1, PAULA ALEXANDRA POSTU1, OANA CIOANCĂ2, LUCIAN HRIȚCU1*, MARIUS MIHASAN1
1“Alexandru Ioan Cuza” University, Department of Biology, 11 Carol I Boulevard, Iași, Romania
2“Gr. T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacognosy, 16
Universității Street, Iași, Romania
*corresponding author: hritcu@uaic.ro
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Abstract:
6-hydroxy-L-nicotine (6HLN), a nicotine derivative from nicotine degradation by Arthrobacter nicotinovorans pAO1 strain,
was found to improve behavioural deficits and to reverse oxidative stress in the rat brain. We evaluated the anxiolytic and
antidepressant effects of nicotine (0.3 mg/kg b.w.) and 6HLN (0.3 mg/kg b.w.) using a chlorisondamine (CHL) rat model.
The anxiolytic effect was evaluated by elevated plus maze test, while the antidepressant effect was investigated using the
forced swimming test. Both nicotine and 6HLN improved cognition related behaviours in anxiety and depression, effectively
induced by CHL in the laboratory rats.

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