Analgesic effect of sinomenine in rodents after inflammation and nerve injury

• Published in: European journal of pharmacology Vol. 721; no. 1-3; pp. 5 - 11
• Main Authors: Gao, Tianle, Hao, Jingxia, Wiesenfeld-Hallin, Zsuzsanna, Wang, Dan-Qiao, Xu, Xiao-Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 05.12.2013
• Subjects: adverse effects; Analgesia; analgesic effect; analgesics; Analgesics - pharmacology; Analgesics - therapeutic use; animal models; Animals; antagonists; arthritis; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; carrageenan; Carrageenan - adverse effects; cold; Farmakologi och toxikologi; Female; heat; Herbal medicine; Hyperalgesia - complications; Hyperalgesia - drug therapy; hypersensitivity; inflammation; Inflammation - chemically induced; Inflammation - drug therapy; Klinisk medicin; Male; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper; Mice; Morphinans - pharmacology; Morphinans - therapeutic use; Morphine; naloxone; nerve tissue; Neuralgia - complications; Neuralgia - drug therapy; Neurologi; Neuropathic pain; Nociception - drug effects; pain; Rats; Sciatic Nerve - drug effects; Sciatic Nerve - injuries; Sinomenine; Sinomenium acutum; spinal cord; Spinal Cord Injuries - complications; Spinal Cord Injuries - drug therapy; Spinal Cord Injuries - physiopathology; tail; traditional medicine; China; Herbal medicine; Sinomenine; Analgesia; Morphine; Neuropathic pain
• ISSN: 0014-2999; 1879-0712; 1879-0712
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2013.09.062

Sinomenine is an alkaloid originally isolated from the root of the plant Sinomenium acutum. It is used in traditional medicine in China to treat rheumatic arthritis. In the present study, we evaluated the potential antinociceptive effects of sinomenine in rodents with nociceptive, inflammatory and neuropathic pain. In normal rats and mice, systemic sinomenine produced moderate antinociceptive effect in the hot plate and tail flick tests. Sinomenine also exerted analgesic effects on mechanical and heat hypersensitivity in mice after carrageenan induced inflammation. Finally, sinomenine effectively alleviated mechanical and cold allodynia in rats and mice after injury to peripheral nerve or spinal cord. The analgesic effect of sinomenine is not associated with side effects and is not reversed by the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone. Our results showed that sinomenine has a wide spectrum analgesic effect in rodent models of nociceptive, inflammatory and neuropathic pain.