Rana Shahabi - Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Mohammad Rostampour - Cellular and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Behrouz Khakpour - Cellular and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Edris Mahdavi Fekjur - Trauma Research Institute, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Farshid Saadat - Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.

Background: Anxiety as an important psychological disorder that has affected many people and has made them to spend a lot of money for its treatment.  Objectives: This study aims to assess the anxiolytic effect of the hydro-alcoholic extract of Anethum Graveolens L. seed (AGS) combined with the antagonist of estrogen receptor in female rats with anxiety. Materials & Methods: In this study, ۶۶ female Wistar rats were divided into eight groups as follow as: Negative control (۱۰ ml/kg saline), positive control (۰.۶ mg/kg diazepam), five groups of AGS extract (۰.۱, ۱, ۱۰, ۱۰۰ and ۱۰۰۰ mg/kg) and tamoxifen+AGS extract (۱۰ mg/kg). Anxiety indicators were measured by the elevated plus maze (EPM) test. Results: The percentage of time spent open arms (%OAT) and percentage open arms entry (%OAE) significantly increased after using ۱۰ mg/Kg dose of AGS extract compared to control group. Tamoxifen could significantly reduce this increase caused by AGS extract on anxiety indices.  Conclusion: Considering the anxiolytic effect of the hydro-alcoholic extract of AGS and the reduction of this effect by the antagonist of estrogen receptor (tamoxifen), it can be concluded that the extract’s anxiolytic effect may be due to interaction with estrogen receptor.

Anxiety, Anethum graveolens, Estrogen receptor antagonists