Analgesic Effect of Indian Gooseberry (Emblica officinalis Fruit) Extracts on Postoperative and Neuropathic Pain in Rats

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 8; no. 12; p. 760
• Main Authors: Lim, Dong Wook, Kim, Jae Goo, Kim, Yun Tai
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 26.11.2016; MDPI
• Subjects: analgesic effects; Analgesics; Analgesics - chemistry; Analgesics - therapeutic use; Animals; anti-inflammation; Cytokines; Emblica officinalis; Filaments; Fruit - chemistry; Fruits; Hypersensitivity; Immunology; Indian gooseberry; Inflammation; Male; Neuralgia - drug therapy; Pain; Pain, Postoperative - drug therapy; Phyllanthus emblica - chemistry; Plant Extracts - chemistry; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; plantar incision; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rodents; spared nerve injury; Surgery; pain; plantar incision; Indian gooseberry; anti-inflammation; analgesic effects; Emblica officinalis; spared nerve injury
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu8120760

Indian gooseberry ( fruit), also known as "Amla" is one of the oldest edible fruits known in India. It has also traditionally been used to treat inflammation, and as an analgesic to treat wounds. However, experimental evidence for the analgesic effects of has been lacking. The present study investigated whether extracts exhibit analgesic effects in the plantar incision (PI) and spared nerve injury (SNI) pain-model rats. We evaluated the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) using von Frey filaments, and pain-related behavior was determined after surgery based on ultrasonic vocalization (USV). The group treated with extracts at 300 mg/kg had significantly increased MWT values at 6 h and 24 h after the PI, and had a significantly reduced number of 22-27-kHz USVs at 6 h and 24 h after PI. Moreover, after 15 days of continuous treatment with . extracts, the treated group showed significantly alleviated SNI-induced hypersensitivity and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokine levels. Thus, extracts have potential analgesic effects in both postoperative and neuropathic pain models in vivo.