African Journal of
Pharmacy and Pharmacology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Pharm. Pharmacol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1996-0816
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJPP
  • Start Year: 2007
  • Published Articles: 2296

Full Length Research Paper

Evaluation of topical antinociceptive effect of Artemisia absinthium extract in mice and possible mechanisms

Fatemeh Zeraati*
  • Fatemeh Zeraati*
  • Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
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Farzaneh Esna-Ashari
  • Farzaneh Esna-Ashari
  • Community Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
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Malihe Araghchian
  • Malihe Araghchian
  • Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
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Amir Hossein Emam
  • Amir Hossein Emam
  • School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
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Majid Vafaei Rad
  • Majid Vafaei Rad
  • School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
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Sadegh Seif
  • Sadegh Seif
  • School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran.
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Kaivan Razaghi
  • Kaivan Razaghi
  • Research Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Hamadan, Iran.
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  •  Received: 13 December 2012
  •  Accepted: 02 April 2014
  •  Published: 22 May 2014

Abstract

This study, evaluated the topical antinociceptive effect of dried extract of Artemisia absinthium in mice, and some mechanisms underlying these effects were also investigated. Four concentrations (1, 2.5, 4, and 6% W/V) of dried extract of the plant in normal saline were evaluated for topical analgesia in tail flick model test. The mice tail was immersed in normal saline supplemented with different concentrations of extract as well as normal saline as control for 2 min before tail flick test. Atropine (5 mg/kg), metoclopramide (1 mg/kg), ondansetrone (0.5 mg/kg) and naloxone (4 mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally (IP), 20 min before tail immersion in normal saline containing the extract at 4% concentration. Subsequently, maximum possible effect percentage (MPE%) was calculated for each dose. It was found that the plant extract produced antinociceptive effect at (4 and 6% W/V) concentration in tail flick model. Furthermore, analgesic effect of extract at 4% W/V concentration was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with atropine, metoclopramide, ondansetrone and naloxone. These results suggest that the extract produced antinociception in tail flick model probably through cholinergic, serotoninergic, dopaminergic, and opiodergic system.
 
Key words: Artemisia absinthium, antinociceptive effect analgesia, mechanism of action.