Oyemitan I A, Iwalewa E O, Akanmu M A, Olugbade T A
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria.
Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med. 2008 Jun 18;5(4):355-62. doi: 10.4314/ajtcam.v5i4.31290.
In this study we evaluated the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the essential oil (EO) of the fruits of Dennettia tripetala in rodents. The plant is a tropical African plant and the fruits are commonly eaten as spices and consumed as a stimulant, and its various parts are used in the treatment of fever, cough and as anti-emetics.The analgesic effects of the oil was assessed in mice using the hot plate, acetic acid-induced writhings and formalin test, while carrageenan-induced paw oedema was used to study the antiinflammatory effects in rats. The EO at 25-50 mg/kg exhibited significant (p<0.05) antinociceptive effects comparable to a potent opioid agonist, morphine (10 mg/kg) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as, aspirin (100 mg/kg) and indomethacin (80 mg/kg). The antinociceptive effect of the EO was also blocked by naloxone (2 mg/kg) in all the models used. The EO demonstrated significant (p<0.05) anti-inflammatory effect in the carrageenan-induced paw oedema model of inflammation that is also comparable to dexamethasone (1 mg/kg) The results showed that the essential oil of D. tripetala possesses significant antinociceptive and antiinflammatory effects in the animal models used. The results also suggest that the analgesic effects may be mediated both centrally as well as peripherally, while the antiinflammatory activity may be effective in both early and late phases of inflammation. The results obtained may therefore be used to rationalize the use of the plant in the treatment of pain and fever in traditional medicine.
在本研究中，我们评估了非洲豆蔻果实精油（EO）在啮齿动物中的镇痛和抗炎活性。该植物是一种热带非洲植物，其果实通常作为香料食用并用作兴奋剂，其各个部位用于治疗发烧、咳嗽和作为止吐剂。使用热板法、醋酸诱导扭体法和福尔马林试验在小鼠中评估该精油的镇痛作用，而使用角叉菜胶诱导的足肿胀来研究大鼠的抗炎作用。25-50mg/kg的精油表现出显著（p<0.05）的抗伤害感受作用，与强效阿片类激动剂吗啡（10mg/kg）以及非甾体抗炎药如阿司匹林（100mg/kg）和吲哚美辛（80mg/kg）相当。在所有使用的模型中，纳洛酮（2mg/kg）也阻断了该精油的抗伤害感受作用。在角叉菜胶诱导的足肿胀炎症模型中，该精油表现出显著（p<0.05）的抗炎作用，也与地塞米松（1mg/kg）相当。结果表明，非洲豆蔻精油在所用动物模型中具有显著的抗伤害感受和抗炎作用。结果还表明，镇痛作用可能在中枢和外周均有介导，而抗炎活性在炎症的早期和晚期可能均有效。因此，所获得的结果可用于解释该植物在传统医学中用于治疗疼痛和发烧的合理性。
