Etifoxine hydrochloride

Etifoxine is an anxiolytic and anticonvulsant drug. Unlike benzodiazepines, etifoxine appears to produce its anxiolytic effects by binding to β2 and β3 subunits of the GABAA receptor complex, and so is acting at a different target site to benzodiazepines, although the physiological effect that is produced is similar to that of benzodiazepines. (In Vitro) :Etifoxine (EFX), at concentrations ranging from 10 to 300 μM (higher concentrations limited its solubility), produces a dose-dependent increase in the [3H]muscimol binding at equilibrium, to 155±2% of its control value at 300 μM EFX. (In Vivo) :Etifoxine competitively inhibits [35S]TBPS binding with micromolar potency in rat brain.Etifoxine (3.125-50 mg/kg) exhibits more pronounced anxiolytic and anticonvulsant effects in the BALB/cByJ mice compared to the C57BL/6J mice.