The modern lifestyle is associated with exposure to “psychological” or “emotional” stress. A growing portion of the population is exposed to emotional stress that results in a high incidence of anxiety disorders, a serious social problem. With this rise, there is a need for understanding the neurobiological causes of stress-induced anxiety and to offer safe remedies for this condition. Side effects of existing pharmaceuticals necessitate the search for alternatives. Having fewer adverse effects than classic remedies, natural extract-based therapies can be a promising solution. Here, we applied a model of emotional stress in BALB/c mice using ultrasound exposure to evoke the signs of anxiety-like behavior. We examined the behavioral and molecular impact of ultrasound and administration of herbal antioxidant/anti-inflammatory treatment (HAT) on AMPA receptor expression, markers of plasticity, inflammation and oxidative stress. A 3-week ultrasound exposure increased scores of anxiety-like behaviors in the standard tests and altered hippocampal expression as well as internalization of AMPA receptor subunits GluA1-A3. Concomitant treatment with HAT has prevented increases of anxiety-like behaviors and other behavioral changes, normalized hippocampal malondialdehyde content, GSK3β and pro-inflammatory cytokines Il-1β and Il-6, and the number of Ki67-positive cells. Levels of malondialdehyde, a common measure of oxidative stress, significantly correlated with the investigated end-points in stressed, but not in non-stressed animals. Our results emphasize the role of oxidative stress in neurobiological abnormalities associated with experimentally induced condition mimicking emotional stress in rodents and highlight the potential therapeutic use of anti-oxidants like herbal compositions for management of stress-related emotional disturbances within the community.

现代生活方式与“心理”或“情感”压力的暴露有关。人口中越来越多的人承受着情绪压力，导致焦虑症的高发，这是一个严重的社会问题。随着这种增加，需要了解压力引起的焦虑的神经生物学原因，并提供针对这种情况的安全疗法。现有药物的副作用使得必须寻找替代品。与传统疗法相比，基于天然提取物的疗法的不良反应要少，因此可能是一种有前途的解决方案。在这里，我们使用超声波暴露在BALB / c小鼠中应用情绪应激模型，以唤起焦虑样行为的迹象。我们检查了超声的行为和分子影响以及草药对AMPA受体表达，可塑性，炎症和氧化应激标志物的抗氧化剂/抗炎治疗（HAT）的影响。在标准测试中进行3周的超声波暴露会增加焦虑样行为的得分，并改变海马表达以及AMPA受体亚基GluA1-A3的内在化。HAT的伴随治疗预防了焦虑样行为和其他行为改变，海马丙二醛含量正常化，GSK3β和促炎细胞因子II-1β和II-6以及Ki67阳性细胞数量的增加。丙二醛的水平是氧化应激的一种常用量度，与受压动物的研究终点显着相关，但与未受压动物相比却没有相关性。