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Research Article

Antinociceptive activity of Syzygium cumini leaves ethanol extract on orofacial nociception protocols in rodents

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Pages 762-766 | Received 29 Jun 2013, Accepted 15 Nov 2013, Published online: 21 Feb 2014
 

Abstract

Context: Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels (Myrtaceae) is a tree with dark purple fruits, popularly known as “jambolão” or “jambolan”. In folk medicine, this plant is used for the treatment of diabetes and inflammatory conditions.

Objective: We investigated the antinociceptive effect of ethanol extract (EE) from S. cumini leaves on orofacial nociception.

Material and methods: The antinociceptive effects of the EE obtained from the leaves of S. cumini were evaluated in mice using formalin- and glutamate-induced orofacial nociception.

Results: ESI-MS/MS analyses demonstrated that major constituents in the analyzed samples coincided with the mass of the phenolic acids and flavonoids. In pharmacological approach, pre-treatment with EE (100, 200, or 400 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) the percentage of paw licks time during phase 2 (43.2, 47.1, and 57.4%, respectively) of a formalin pain test when compared to control group animals. This effect was prevented by pretreatment with glibenclamide and NG-nitro-l-arginine (l-NOARG). The extract, all doses, also caused a marked inhibition (p < 0.01 or p < 0.001) of glutamate-induced orofacial nociception (38.8, 51.7, and 54.7%) when compared with the control group. No effect was observed with the rota-rod model.

Conclusions: We can suggest that the antinociceptive effect of the EE is mediated by peripheral mechanisms, possibly involving KATP channels and the nitric oxide pathways. These effects appear to be related to the presence of flavonoids compounds, such as quercetin.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq/Brazil) and the Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) for the financial support. We would also like to thank Ashley Martin for reviewing the grammar on this manuscript.

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