Anxiolytic Potential of Selected Essential Oils and Their Impact on Motor Function
9 affiliations
- 1Graduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Evangelical University of Goiás, Anápolis 75083-515, Brazil
- 2Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia 74690-900, Brazil
- 3Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ilorin, Ilorin 240003, Nigeria
- 4Department of Physiology, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia 38405-320, Brazil
- 5Escuela de Ingeniería de Construcción y Transporte, Pontifícia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, Avda Brasil 2147, Valparaíso 2362804, Chile
- 6Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Development (LADEF), Federal University of São João del-Rei, Divinópolis 35501-296, Brazil
- 7School of Medical and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Goiás, Goiânia 74605-010, Brazil
- 8Laboratory for Research, Development & Innovation of Biodiversity Products, State University of Goiás, Anápolis 75132-903, Brazil
- 9Institute of Chemistry and Biotechnology, Federal University of Alagoas, AC Simões Campus, Maceió 57072-970, Brazil
Abstract
Plant essential oils (EOs) exhibit promising anxiolytic activity, but their application may be constrained by adverse motor effects arising from interactions with neural circuits controlling movement. Here, we investigated the anxiolytic-like effects and motor impairment liability of EOs from Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus, Melissa officinalis, Matricaria chamomilla, Lippia alba, Salvia rosmarinus, Ocimum basilicum, Spiranthera odoratissima, and Cymbopogon citratus, integrating computational target prediction with behavioral pharmacology. Prioritized EO constituents were subjected to target prediction, molecular docking, and 100-ns molecular dynamics simulations to identify molecular mechanisms potentially associated with motor impairment. Male and female Swiss mice received oral vehicle 10 mL/kg, EOs (10, 100, or 500 mg/kg) or diazepam (DZP 1 or 5 mg/kg), followed by the evaluation of anxiolytic-like behavior and motor coordination in the elevated plus maze and rotarod test, respectively. In silico analyses involving docking and molecular dynamics simulations of computationally prioritized EO constituents identified candidate targets within M1 and M2 receptors. All EOs exhibited anxiolytic-like activity at the intermediate dose. Motor impairment varied markedly among EOs. Integrating computational target prediction with behavioral assessment identified distinct motor liability profiles among EOs.
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BibTeX
@article{filho2026anxiolytic,
title = {{Anxiolytic Potential of Selected Essential Oils and Their Impact on Motor Function}},
author = {Alberto Souza Sá Filho and John Ihayi Ogbu and Ayobami J. Olusola and Saheed Olanrewaju Afolabi and Gustavo Rodrigues Pedrino and Marcos Luiz Ferreira-Neto and Vicente Aprigliano and Renê Oliveira do Couto and Lucas Barbosa Ribeiro de Carvalho and Leonardo Luiz Borges and Mirely Vitória Farias da Silva and Edeildo Ferreira da Silva-Júnior and Antônio Sérgio Nakao de Aguiar and James Oluwagbamigbe Fajemiroye},
journal = {International Journal of Molecular Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/ijms27198786},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/19/8786},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Anxiolytic Potential of Selected Essential Oils and Their Impact on Motor Function
AU - Alberto Souza Sá Filho
AU - John Ihayi Ogbu
AU - Ayobami J. Olusola
AU - Saheed Olanrewaju Afolabi
AU - Gustavo Rodrigues Pedrino
AU - Marcos Luiz Ferreira-Neto
AU - Vicente Aprigliano
AU - Renê Oliveira do Couto
AU - Lucas Barbosa Ribeiro de Carvalho
AU - Leonardo Luiz Borges
AU - Mirely Vitória Farias da Silva
AU - Edeildo Ferreira da Silva-Júnior
AU - Antônio Sérgio Nakao de Aguiar
AU - James Oluwagbamigbe Fajemiroye
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DO - 10.3390/ijms27198786
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/27/19/8786
AB - Plant essential oils (EOs) exhibit promising anxiolytic activity, but their application may be constrained by adverse motor effects arising from interactions with neural circuits controlling movement. Here, we investigated the anxiolytic-like effects and motor impairment liability of EOs from Pimenta pseudocaryophyllus, Melissa officinalis, Matricaria chamomilla, Lippia alba, Salvia rosmarinus, Ocimum basilicum, Spiranthera odoratissima, and Cymbopogon citratus, integrating computational target prediction with behavioral pharmacology. Prioritized EO constituents were subjected to target prediction, molecular docking, and 100-ns molecular dynamics simulations to identify molecular mechanisms potentially associated with motor impairment. Male and female Swiss mice received oral vehicle 10 mL/kg, EOs (10, 100, or 500 mg/kg) or diazepam (DZP 1 or 5 mg/kg), followed by the evaluation of anxiolytic-like behavior and motor coordination in the elevated plus maze and rotarod test, respectively. In silico analyses involving docking and molecular dynamics simulations of computationally prioritized EO constituents identified candidate targets within M1 and M2 receptors. All EOs exhibited anxiolytic-like activity at the intermediate dose. Motor impairment varied markedly among EOs. Integrating computational target prediction with behavioral assessment identified distinct motor liability profiles among EOs.
SN - 1422-0067
ER -