Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of non-alkaloids fractions from aconitum flavum in vivo

Abstract

tAconitum flavum Hand.-Mazz., Ranunculaceae, has been used for the treatment of rheumatism, trau-matic injury in folk and clinical medicine, but the alkaloids has high toxicity. This study was designedto investigate the acute toxicity, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of non-alkaloids frac-tions from A. flavum in rodents. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by inflammatory modelsof dimethylbenzene-induced ear vasodilatation and acetic acid-induced capillary permeability enhance-ment test in mice and carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats whereas the antinociceptive activity wasevaluated using acetic acid-induced writhes, hot plate test and formalin test in mice. The result showedthat the LD50value of BtOH and EtOAc fractions could not be determined as no lethality was observed upto 40 g/kg (p.o.) in mice. BtOH fraction significantly decreased the dimethylbenzene-induced ear vasodil-atation, carrageenan-induced paw edema and acetic acid-induced capillary permeability. EtOAc fractiononly significantly attenuated paw edema and capillary permeability at the dose of 500 mg/kg. In antinoci-ceptive test, BtOH and EtOAc fractions significantly reduced the writhing number evoked by acetic acidinjection and the licking time in both phases of the formalin test. Meanwhile BtOH and EtOAc fractionshad significant effect on hot plate test after 90 min. Our data indicate that the BtOH and EtOAc fractions ofNAF are no toxicity. BtOH and EtOAc fractions not only inhibit inflammatory and peripheral inflammatorypain but also have central antinociceptive effect.