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Abstract
Piper methysticum G. Forst, popularly known as kava, is a traditional medicinal plant widely used for the treatment of anxiety and insomnia. The aim of this study was to investigate new therapeutic applications of this plant. Nociceptive response induced by heat (hot-plate) was used as pain model. Susceptibility of different strains to kava ethanolic dried extracts was evaluated by broth microdilution method. Acute oral toxicity was performed according to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) guideline. Administration of kava dried extracts and kavain inhibited the nociceptive response in the hot-plate model and did not affect the time mice spent in the rota-rod apparatus. The samples showed no significant antibacterial activity, however slight antifungal activity was verified. The extracts may be considered of low oral acute toxicity. Kava extracts exhibited promising antinociceptive activity in model of nociceptive pain, which should be deeper explored as a new therapeutic application of kava.
Graphical Abstract
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Acknowledgements
We thank Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq; 303307/2018-8 and 313310/2019-0), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES; Finance Code 001) and Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa - UFMG for financial support and scholarship. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnol?gico.