Dragon's blood from Croton urucurana (Baill.) attenuates visceral nociception in mice

• Published in: Journal of ethnopharmacology Vol. 113; no. 2; pp. 357 - 360
• Main Authors: Rao, Vietla S., Gurgel, Luilma A., Lima-Júnior, Roberto C.P., Martins, Domingos T.O., Cechinel-Filho, Valdir, Santos, Flávia A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 05.09.2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: Abdominal Pain - chemically induced; Abdominal Pain - physiopathology; Abdominal Pain - prevention & control; Acetylcysteine - administration & dosage; Acetylcysteine - pharmacology; Administration, Oral; Adrenergic alpha-Agonists - administration & dosage; Adrenergic alpha-Agonists - pharmacology; analgesic effect; animal organs; Animals; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; bioassays; Biological and medical sciences; Capsaicin - administration & dosage; Capsaicin - toxicity; chemical constituents of plants; Clonidine - administration & dosage; Clonidine - pharmacology; Croton; Croton - chemistry; Croton urucurana; Cyclophosphamide - administration & dosage; Cyclophosphamide - toxicity; digestive system diseases; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Dragon's blood; ethnobotany; Euphorbiaceae; General pharmacology; herbal medicines; Hypnotics and Sedatives - administration & dosage; Hypnotics and Sedatives - pharmacology; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Injections, Subcutaneous; Male; Medical sciences; medicinal plants; medicinal properties; Mice; Morphine - administration & dosage; Morphine - pharmacology; Motor Activity - drug effects; Naloxone - administration & dosage; Naloxone - pharmacology; Narcotic Antagonists - administration & dosage; Narcotic Antagonists - pharmacology; Narcotics - administration & dosage; Narcotics - pharmacology; Pentobarbital - administration & dosage; Pentobarbital - pharmacology; Pharmacognosy. Homeopathy. Health food; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; plant extracts; Plant Extracts - administration & dosage; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Red sap; sap; Sleep - drug effects; Sleep - physiology; Time Factors; Traditional medicine; Visceral antinociception; Euphorbiaceae; Dragon's blood; Red sap; Traditional medicine; Croton urucurana; Visceral antinociception; Nociception; Biological fluid; Sap; Pharmacognosy; Rodentia; Blood; Medicinal plant; Analgesia; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Folk medicine; Mouse; Dicotyledones; Animal; Angiospermae; Plant origin; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0378-8741; 1872-7573
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2007.06.009

Dragon's blood, the red sap from Croton urucurana Baill. (Euphorbiaceae) has a profound history of traditional use in conditions such as inflammation, diarrhoea and gastrointestinal distress. Previous studies established its anti-inflammatory, antidiarrhoeal and analgesic properties and in this study we verified its potential to suppress visceral pain, using capsaicin- and cyclophosphamide-induced models of visceral nociception. Mice that received intra-colonic capsaicin (0.3%, 50 μl/animal) or intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (400 mg/kg) manifested spontaneous nociceptive behaviors or crises, which were significantly suppressed in animal groups treated with red sap (200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o.) or that received N-acetylcysteine (750 mg/kg, i.p.) or morphine (7.5 mg/kg, s.c.), as positive controls. In capsaicin model, the antinociception produced by 200 mg/kg red sap was found to be naloxone-sensitive (2 mg/kg, i.p.), suggesting an opioid mechanism. In tests of open-field and pentobarbital-sleeping time, mice received 200 mg/kg red sap showed no significant alterations in either locomotion frequency or on sleeping time, indicating that the observed antinociception is not a consequence of sedation or motor abnormality. These findings highlight the visceral antinociceptive property of Croton urucurana sap and further support its ethno-medical use to alleviate pain associated with gastrointestinal and other related disorders.