The monoamine stabilizer OSU6162 has anxiolytic-like properties and reduces voluntary alcohol intake in a genetic rat model of depression

Alcohol use disorders (AUD) often co-occur with anxiety and depressive disorders, and anxiety often drives relapse during alcohol abstinence. Optimal AUD pharmacotherapies may thus need to target both excessive alcohol intake and elevated anxiety. (−)-OSU6162 (OSU) is a monoamine stabilizer that attenuates alcohol-mediated behaviors in both preclinical and clinical settings. However, OSU’s effect on anxiety-like behavior following long-term drinking remains unknown. To this end, we utilized a genetic rat model that exhibits increased anxiety- and depression-like behaviors (Flinders Sensitive Line; FSL) and their controls (Flinders Resistant Line; FRL). Using the novelty suppressed feeding (NSF) test, we evaluated anxiety-like behaviors (1) at baseline, (2) following long-term voluntary drinking and after 24 h of alcohol deprivation, and (3) following OSU administration in the same animals. At baseline, FSL animals displayed significantly elevated anxiety-like characteristics compared to FRL. Compared to alcohol-naïve animals, long-term drinking significantly reduced anxiety-like behaviors in FSL, without any significant effects in FRL animals. Compared to vehicle, OSU administration significantly reduced anxiety-like behaviors in alcohol-naïve FSL and long-term drinking FRL animals. While there was no significant difference in alcohol intake between FSL and FRL, OSU attenuated alcohol intake in both strains. Conclusively, in addition to the compound’s previously identified ability to suppress alcohol-mediated behaviors, OSU may also possess anxiolytic properties, warranting further clinical evaluation in both AUD and anxiety disorder settings.