Analgesic activity of Heliopsis longipes and its effect on the nervous system

Abstract

Heliopsis longipes S.F. Blake (Asteraceae: Heliantheae) (chilcuague) is used in Mexican traditional medicine against parasites and to alleviate tooth and muscle pains. Its biocide effect has already been experimentally demonstrated; however, its analgesic action and its action on the nervous system (NS) have not been investigated yet. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the analgesic action of affinin and the H. longipes root ethanol extract, as well as their effects on the NS using an animal model. The ethanol extract was obtained by maceration, and affinin was purified from it through chromatographic techniques. Chemical and thermal analgesia were used to assess their analgesic proprieties. Irwin’s test was used to evaluate their stimulating or depressing effects. The ethanol extract and affinin displayed analgesic action similar to ketorolac and stimulating effect comparable to caffeine on the nervous system of adult mice.

Keywords::

• Affinin
• analgesic action
• Heliopsis longipes
• Irwin’s test

Acknowledgements

The authors thank S. Jasso-Espino for technical assistance, and Esther Jiménez-Capdeville, J.C. García López and R.I. Yeaton, who suggested improvements to earlier versions. V.G. Cilia-López was the recipient of a scholarship (172443) from CONACYT (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología) (Mexico).

Declaration of interest: The authors have no conflict of interest. This research was funded by Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí.