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.
