Tenci Barbara, Di Cesare Mannelli Lorenzo, Maresca Mario, Micheli Laura, Pieraccini Giuseppe, Mulinacci Nadia, Ghelardini Carla
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Z Naturforsch C J Biosci. 2017 Oct 26;72(11-12):449-457. doi: 10.1515/znc-2016-0251.
Lepidium meyenii (Walp.), commonly called maca, is an Andean crop belonging to the Brassicaceae family. Maca hypocotils are habitually consumed as customary food as well as traditional remedies for pathological conditions such as infertility. Moreover, the characterization of maca extracts revealed the presence of compounds that are able to modulate the nervous system. Aimed to evaluate the efficacy of L. meyenii in persistent pain, the present study analyzed the effects of a commercial root extract from maca in different animal models reproducing the most common causes of chronic painful pathologies. A qualitative characterization of this commercial extract by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry and tandem mass spectrometry analyses allowed us to confirm the presence of some macamides known as bioactive constituents of this root and the absence of the main aromatic glucosinolates. The acute oral administration of maca extract is able to reduce mechanical hypersensitivity and postural unbalance induced by the intra-articular injection of monoiodoacetate and the chronic-constriction injury of the sciatic nerve. Furthermore, L. meyenii extract reverts pain threshold alterations evoked by oxaliplatin and paclitaxel. A good safety profile in mice and rats was shown. In conclusion, the present maca extract could be considered as a therapeutic opportunity to relieve articular and neuropathic pain.
玛咖（Lepidium meyenii (Walp.)），通常被称为玛卡，是一种属于十字花科的安第斯作物。玛卡的下胚轴通常作为传统食物食用，同时也是治疗诸如不孕不育等病症的传统药物。此外，对玛卡提取物的特性分析表明，其中存在能够调节神经系统的化合物。为了评估玛咖对持续性疼痛的疗效，本研究分析了一种玛卡商业根提取物在不同动物模型中的作用，这些模型模拟了慢性疼痛性疾病最常见的病因。通过高效液相色谱 - 质谱联用和串联质谱分析对该商业提取物进行定性表征，使我们能够确认某些已知为该根生物活性成分的玛卡酰胺的存在，以及主要芳香族硫代葡萄糖苷的缺失。急性口服玛卡提取物能够降低由关节内注射一碘乙酸和坐骨神经慢性压迫损伤所诱导的机械性超敏反应和姿势失衡。此外，玛咖提取物可逆转由奥沙利铂和紫杉醇引起的痛阈改变。在小鼠和大鼠中显示出良好的安全性。总之，目前的玛卡提取物可被视为缓解关节痛和神经病理性疼痛的一种治疗选择。
