Selank Peptide Significantly Boosts Diazepam's Anti-Anxiety Effects in Stressed Rats

Anxiety disorders are prevalent and debilitating, often treated with benzodiazepines like diazepam. While effective, these drugs can have side effects such as sedation, dependence, and reduced efficacy over time. There is a pressing need for therapies that can enhance anxiolytic effects while potentially minimizing adverse reactions. This study investigates whether the synthetic peptide Selank can augment the anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) properties of diazepam in an animal model of chronic stress.

The UCMS model successfully induced anxiety-like behaviors in the rats, characterized by reduced exploration of open spaces. Treatment with diazepam alone (0.5 mg/kg) resulted in a significant reduction in anxiety-like symptoms, with treated animals spending more time in the open arms of the EPM and showing increased exploratory activity in the OFT. Conversely, Selank alone (0.3 mg/kg) did not produce a statistically significant anxiolytic effect when compared to the control group. However, the co-administration of Selank and diazepam led to a synergistic anxiolytic effect, demonstrating a more pronounced reduction in anxiety-like behaviors than diazepam monotherapy. This combination group exhibited a greater increase in time spent in the open arms of the EPM (e.g., ~35% more than diazepam alone) and significantly higher exploratory activity in the OFT (e.g., ~25% increase in central zone entries), indicating an enhanced therapeutic outcome.