Assessment of hydro-alcholic extract of Achillea. millefolium on anxiety-like behaviors in mice

Anxiety is one of the most common psychotic disorders. Since available anti-anxiety therapies have many side effects, searching for new drugs with lower side effects is necessary. Achillea. Millefolium is one of the medical plants that have many beneficial effects and it seems that it has some anti-anxiety effects as well. In the current study, the probable influence of hydro-alcholic extract of A. Millefolium on anxiety-like behaviors was investigated in a mice model. Sixty male albino mice (25-30gr) were used in the study. Animals were randomly divided into four treatment groups and two control groups. The treatment groups were received different doses of A. Millefolium extract (50, 100, 200 & 400 mg/kg) by the route of intraperitoneal. One of the control groups was given the vehicle of A. Millefolium extract, while another one; sham control, received only a blank injection. Twenty-five min following injection of the A. Millefolium extract, the animals have left inside a black wall box for increasing motion activity for 5 min. Then the animals were transferred to a plus maze for the evaluation of anxiety reaction including the number of entries and time spent in the open arms of maze. These anxiety criteria were monitored and recorded for 5 min. The hydroalcohlic extract of A. Millefolium in a dose of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg significantly increased both the time spent in the open arms and the number of entries to the open arms in the test animals compared to the control animals (p<0.05). The results of present study showed that A. Millefolium extract modulates anxiety-like behaviors in mice.