International Research Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Vol. 2(6), pp. 126-131, June 2012          Copyright © 2012 International Research Journals

Full Length Research Paper   Indomethacin during early perinatal age is associated with low levels of anxiety and stress at pre- and post-pubertal age   Vanessa Blas-Valdivia1, Edgar Cano-Europa1, Estela Meléndez-Camargo2 and Rocio Ortiz-Butron1   1Laboratorio de Neurobiología, Departamento de Fisiología. Av. Wilfrido Massieu s/n, Esq. Manuel L. Stampa, Col. Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07738 Mexico, D.F 2Laboratorio de Toxicología Hepática y Renal,  Departamento de Farmacía. Av. Wilfrido Massieu s/n, Esq. Manuel L. Stampa, Col. Unidad Profesional Adolfo López Mateos, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07738 Mexico, D.F   *Corresponding Author Email: rocipn@yahoo.com.mx;  Tel: (525) 729-6300/62347; FAX: (525) 729-62-06   Received 12 April, 2012; Accepted  22 May, 2012   Abstract   It has been observed that indomethacin has undesirable effects on CNS like reduced white matter, cognitive dysfunction, depersonalization, hallucination and psychosis. So, the aim of the present work was to investigate if neonatal administration of indomethacin causes behavioral changes related with anxiety and stress. Thirty-two male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups. Three groups received indomethacin administration at different postnatal day. The first group received indomethacin at P2-P3 day; the second group was administrated at P4-P6 day; the third group received the administration at P7-P9 day, and the control animals (group 4) were injected with an equal volume of the vehicle. It was analyzed the effect of indomethacin administration on the behavioral tests (traveled distance, social contact, and immobility response) at day 36 and 57 postnatal. It was found that indomethacin reduced the traveled distance and ambulatory time at pre and post-pubertal age, meanwhile indomethacin administration at P7-P9 caused an increase of traveled distance. Also, indomethacin increased the contact number at pre-pubertal age with a reduction at post-pubertal age. Finally, the indomethacin administration modified immobility responses. We conclude that indomethacin administration during post-natal age causes stress or anxiety related behavior because open field test, social interaction test, and immobility responses presented differences.   Keywords: Indomethacin, behavioral test, anxiety, stress, perinatal age.