Fig. 7

Pharmacological inhibition of BTK with ibrutinib after the induction of stress in mice attenuates hyper-anxious behavior. Mice were injected daily with ibrutinib (3 mg/kg, i.p.) or vehicle two days after restraint stress and underwater trauma. One week after the induction of stress mice were assessed for the hyper-anxious behavior. A Open field test: physically stressed mice dosed with ibrutinib after the induction of stress exhibited significantly decreased anxiety levels when compared to the vehicle controls, as illustrated by increased exploration time in the central area of the OFT. B Light–dark test: physically stressed mice dosed with ibrutinib after the induction of stress displayed significant rescue from hyper-anxiety as explained by the significant increase in their time spent in the light chamber of the LDT. C Elevated plus maze test: physically stress mice injected with ibrutinib after the induction of stress exhibited significantly reduced anxiety, as evidenced by the increased duration of time spent in the open arms of the EPM. All values are presented as mean with 95% CI (n = 20/group); ***p < 0.001, ns (not significant); 2X2X2 factorial ANOVA, followed by Bonferroni post hoc test