Neuropsychopharmacological profiling of scoparone in mice

Scoparone (6,7-dimethoxycoumarin) is a simple coumarin from botanical drugs of Artemisia species used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Génépi liquor. However, its bioavailability to the brain and potential central effects remain unexplored. We profiled the neuropharmacological effects of scoparone upon acute and subchronic intraperitoneal administration (2.5–25 mg/kg) in Swiss mice and determined its brain concentrations and its effects on the endocannabinoid system (ECS) and related lipids using LC–ESI–MS/MS. Scoparone showed no effect in the forced swimming test (FST) but, administered acutely, led to a bell-shaped anxiogenic-like behavior in the elevated plus-maze test and bell-shaped procognitive effects in the passive avoidance test when given subchronically and acutely. Scoparone rapidly but moderately accumulated in the brain (Cmax