Volume : 13, Issue : 06, June – 2026
Title:
ADVANCED SCREENING PLATFORMS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEXT-GENERATION ANXIOLYTIC AND ANTIDEPRESSANT COMPOUNDS – A REVIEW ARTICLE
Authors :
Mrs.Naina Sara Sabu*, Ms. Neha Robinson, Ms. Rameeza Shanavas, Mr. Akash Ben
Abstract :
Anxiety and depression are complex neuropsychiatric disorders with multiple causes involving neurotransmitter imbalances, neuroendocrine dysregulation, impaired neuroplasticity. The development of effective therapeutic agents requires an integrated approach combining neurobiological understanding with advanced screening methods. This review highlights the neurobiological basis of anxiety and depression, focusing on neurotransmitter systems, brain regions involved, HPA axis dysfunction, neuroinflammation, BDNF mediated neuroplasticity. Further it talks about the role of in silico approaches, including target selection, molecular docking, QSAR studies and ADMET prediction in accelerating drug discovery. A comprehensive examination of various in vitro and in vivo screening strategies for evaluating anxiolytic and antidepressant activity is also provided. Using computational, biological, and behavioural methods is an effective strategy to the discovery and development of new therapeutic medicines.
Keywords: Anxiety, ADMET, Depression, Drug Discovery, In Silico Screening, In Vitro Assays, In Vivo Models, Molecular Docking, Neurobiology, QSAR.
Cite This Article:
Please cite this article in press Naina Sara Sabu et al., Advanced Screening Platforms For The Development Of Next-Generation Anxiolytic And Antidepressant Compounds – A Review Article.., Indo Am. J. P. Sci, 2026; 13(06).
REFERENCES:
[1] Biney RP, et al. Exploring the antidepressant-like effect of stigmasterol using network pharmacology with molecular docking and in vivo experimental validation. Sci Rep. 2025;15:27533.
[2] Auld DS, Farmen MW, Kahl SD, Kriauciunas A, McKnight KL, Montrose C, et al. Receptor binding assays for HTS and drug discovery. Methods Enzymol. 2006;414:54–79.
[3] Walf AA, Frye CA. The use of the elevated plus maze as an assay of anxiety-related behavior in rodents. Nat Protoc. 2007;2(2):322–328.
[4] Arrant AE, Schramm-Sapyta NL, Kuhn CM. Use of the light/dark test for anxiety in adult and adolescent male rats. Behav Brain Res. 2013;256:119–127.
[5] Kraeuter AK, Guest PC, Sarnyai Z. The open field test for measuring locomotor activity and anxiety-like behavior. In: Methods Mol Biol. 2019;1916:99–103.
[6] Monarca RI, Silva RFB, Gabriel SI, Cerveira AM, von Merten S. The presence of a shelter in an open field test has differential effects on the behavior and stress response of two mouse species. Behav Processes. 2015;116:94–103.
[7] Can A, Dao DT, Terrillion CE, Piantadosi SC, Bhat S, Gould TD. The tail suspension test. In: Mood and Anxiety Related Phenotypes in Mice. Methods Mol Biol. 2012;829:449–460.
[8] Willner P. The chronic mild stress (CMS) model of depression: history, evaluation and usage. Neurobiol Stress. 2017;6:78–93.
[9] Willner P. Chronic mild stress (CMS) revisited: consistency and behavioural–neurobiological concordance in the effects of CMS. Neuropsychobiology. 2005;52(2):90–110.
[10] Zhang Y, et al. Network pharmacology screening, in vitro and in vivo evaluation of antianxiety and antidepressant drug-food analogue. Phytomedicine. 2024;134:155999.
[11] Sharma N, et al. Antidepressant-like effect of dehydrozingerone from Zingiber officinale: in silico and in vivo studies. Pharmacol Rep. 2021; 73(4):1027–1038.
[12] Kaur R, et al. 2-Pyrazoline derivatives in neuropharmacology: synthesis, ADME prediction, molecular docking and in vivo biological evaluation. Eur J Med Chem. 2017;138:102–114.
[13] Wang L, et al. Design, synthesis, and in vivo and in silico evaluation of coumarin derivatives with potential antidepressant effects. Bioorg Chem. 2021; 114:105070.
[14] López-Rodríguez ML, et al. Synthesis, antidepressant evaluation and docking studies of long-chain alkyl nitroquipazines as serotonin transporter inhibitors. Bioorg Med Chem. 2013;21(15):4556–4564.
[15 Zhang Y, Zhang Z, Li Y, et al. Network pharmacology-based analysis and experimental validation of antidepressant effects of natural compounds. Phytomedicine. 2021;85:153541.
[16] Liu MY, et al. Antidepressant-like activity of oroxylin A in mice models of depression: behavioural and neurobiological characterization. Front Pharmacol. 2022; 13:921553.
[17] Slattery DA, Cryan JF. Using the rat forced swim test to assess antidepressant-like activity. Nat Protoc. 2012;7(6):1009–1014.
[18] Youdim MBH, Edmondson D, Tipton KF. The therapeutic potential of monoamine oxidase inhibitors. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2006;7(4):295–309.
[19] Bortolato M, Chen K, Shih JC. Monoamine oxidase inactivation: from pathophysiology to therapeutics. Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2008;60(13–14):1527–1533.
[20] Castrén E, Monteggia LM. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor signaling in depression and antidepressant action. Biol Psychiatry. 2021;90(2):128–136.
[21] Mosmann T. Rapid colorimetric assay for cellular growth and survival (MTT assay). J Immunol Methods. 1983;65(1–2):55–63.
[22] Maguire JJ, Davenport AP. Radioligand binding assays and their analysis. Methods Mol Biol. 2012;897:31–77.
[23] Winkler DA. The role of quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSAR) in biomolecular discovery. Brief Bioinform. 2002;3(1):73–86.
[24] Plenge RM, Scolnick EM, Altshuler D. Validating therapeutic targets through human genetics. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2013;12(8):581–594.
[25] Smith SM, Vale WW. The role of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis in neuroendocrine responses to stress. Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2006;8(4):383–395.
[26] Drevets WC, Price JL, Furey ML. Brain structural and functional abnormalities in mood disorders. Brain Struct Funct. 2008;213(1–2):93–118.
[27] Phelps EA, LeDoux JE. Contributions of the amygdala to emotion processing: from animal models to human behavior. Neuron. 2005;48(2):175–187.
[28] versen LL. Neurotransmitter transporters and their impact on the development of psychopharmacology. Br J Pharmacol. 2006;147(S1):S82–S88.