Intranasal Administration of Quercetin Liposome Decreases Anxiety-like Behavior and Increases Spatial Memory

At present, the effects of quercetin liposome on anxiolytic activity and cognitive function are unclearly known. In this study, male Wistar rats were administered quercetin liposome via intranasal route once daily continually for 4 weeks. The anxiolytic activity and cognitive enhancing effect were determined after single administration, 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks of treatment using elevated plus maze test and Morris water maze test respectively. The results showed that quercetin liposome significantly increased both number of opened arm entry and time spent in the opened arm. In addition, the quercetin liposome also decreased escape latency and increased retention time markedly. Therefore, our results demonstrated the anxiolytic activity and cognitive enhancing effect of quercetin liposome and suggested that it might be used as a novel therapeutic strategy for anxiety disorder and cognitive deficit condition.