New experimental data on the central effects of an old analgesic – Paracetamol

Abstract

Paracetamol is a commonly used analgesic and antipyretic agent, but its exact mechanism of action is not known although it’s certain that the central effect is predominant. The aim of this paper was to study in mice the effects of paracetamol in three tests: the vigilance and spontaneous locomotive activity test, the forced swimming test, and the hot plate test. Paracetamol was given orally in three doses (100, 200 and 400 mg kg/bw). Statistical analysis used parametric and non-parametric tests. In the locomotive activity test, an excitatory effect at 200 mg/kg bw was recorded at 2 hours after administration, whereas at 4 hours, a possible sedative effect at high doses was observed. In the forced swimming test, no antidepressant effects were recorded. In the hot plate test, central analgesic effects were found at higher doses (400 mg/kgbw) for the jump parameter, with no increase in the latency of the liking latency. An interesting issue would be to study the central mechanism of action in chronic paracetamol administration regarding the treatment of pain.