Analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in animal models of an ethanolic extract of Taheebo, the inner bark of Tabebuia avellanedae

• Published in: Molecular medicine reports Vol. 6; no. 4; pp. 791 - 796
• Main Authors: LEE, MU HONG, CHOI, HYUN MI, HAHM, DAE-HYUN, HER, ERK, YANG, HYUNG-IN, YOO, MYUNG CHUL, KIM, KYOUNG SOO
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece D.A. Spandidos 01.10.2012; Spandidos Publications UK Ltd
• Subjects: 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate; Acetic acid; Acids; Analgesics; Analgesics - chemistry; Analgesics - pharmacology; Analgesics - therapeutic use; Animal models; Animals; Anti-inflammatory agents; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - chemistry; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - pharmacology; Anti-Inflammatory Agents - therapeutic use; anti-inflammatory effect; anti-nociceptive effect; Arachidonic acid; Arthritis; Bark; Cancer; Cell Membrane Permeability - drug effects; Disease; Disease Models, Animal; Drug dosages; Edema; Ethanol - chemistry; Inflammation; Inflammation - drug therapy; Laboratory animals; Male; Medicine, Traditional; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs; Osteoarthritis; Pain; Pain - drug therapy; Pain perception; Pain Threshold - drug effects; Permeability; Plant Bark - chemistry; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Rain; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rodents; Statistical analysis; Tabebuia - chemistry; Tabebuia avellanedae Lorentz ex Griseb; Taheebo; Traditional medicine
• ISSN: 1791-2997; 1791-3004
• DOI: 10.3892/mmr.2012.989

Taheebo, the purple inner bark of the Bignoniaceae tree Tabebuia avellanedae Lorentz ex Griseb, which is found in tropical rain forests in northeastern Brazil, has been used as a traditional medicine for various diseases for more than 1,500 years. In the current study, various animal models were used to demonstrate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of its ethanolic extract, thereby investigating its potential as a therapeutic treatment for diseases with pain and inflammation. In the hot plate and writhing tests for the in vivo analgesic effect test of Taheebo, a 200 mg/kg dose of the extract induced a significant anti-nociceptive effect and increased the pain threshold by approximately 30% compared with the control. In vascular permeability and tetradecanoylphorbol acetate (TPA)-, arachidonic acid- and carrageenan-induced paw edema tests for anti-inflammatory effects, treatment with 200 mg/kg Taheebo led to significant anti-inflammatory effects and inhibited inflammation by 30-50% compared with the control. At 100 mg/kg, the extract decreased the levels of pain and inflammation in all tested models, but the degree of inhibition was not statistically significant. The results suggest that the ethanolic extract of the inner bark of Tabebuia avellanedae has the potential to be developed as a therapeutic or supportive drug against diseases with accompanying pain and inflammation, including osteoarthritis.