Anxiolytic Effect of L-carnitine in Adult Male Rats

The beneficial effect of L-carnitine for treatment of neurological diseases has been investigated in various studies. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of L-carnitine supplement on anxiety behavior in adult male rats by elevated plus maze. In this experimental study, the studied groups were divided into normal, saline, and experimental groups. L-carnitine was administered intraperitoneally at doses of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 mg/kg were, and saline control group received saline as vehicle. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Dunnett’s test. The significance level was considered as p<0.05. In this study, the anxiolytic response of the drug was evaluated by elevated plus maze 30 minutes after treatment. L-carnitine treatment increase time spent in open arms, number of entries into open and dark arms or locomotor activity, %OAE, while decreased %OAT (p<0.01). The results of this study indicated that L-carnitine has anxiolytic effect on male rats.