β-Carboline-Induced anxiety states

Several C-3-substituted β-carbolines (e.g., the ethyl ester of β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid) have high affinities for benzodiazepine receptors and can antagonize the principal pharmacologic actions of the benzodiazepines. The observation that some of these compounds also possess ‘intrinsic’ actions, best described as pharmacologically opposite to the benzodiazepines, has provided a chemically induced model of extreme stress or anxiety. The actions of such compounds in currently used animal models of anxiety are reviewed, as well as the effects of these compounds in primates, including man.