Antinociceptive Activity of Trichilia catigua Hydroalcoholic Extract: New Evidence on Its Dopaminergic Effects

Abstract

Trichilia catigua is a native plant of Brazil; its barks are used by some local pharmaceutical companies to prepare tonic drinks, such as Catuama. The present study was addressed to evaluate the effects of T. catigua hydroalcoholic extract in mouse nociception behavioral models, and to evaluate the possible mechanisms involved in its actions. Male Swiss mice were submitted to hot-plate, writhing and von Frey tests, after oral treatment with T. catigua extract (200 mg kg−1, p.o.). The extract displayed antinociceptive effect in all three models. For characterization of the mechanisms involved in the antinociceptive action of the extract, the following pharmacological treatments were done: naloxone (2.5 mg kg−1, s.c.), SR141716A (10 mg kg−1, i.p.), SCH23390 (15 μg kg−1, i.p.), sulpiride (50 mg kg−1, i.p.), prazosin (1 mg kg−1, i.p.), bicuculline (1 mg kg−1, i.p.) or dl-p-chlorophenylalanine methyl ester (PCPA, 100 mg kg−1, i.p.). In these experiments, the action of T. catigua extract was evaluated in the hot-plate test. The treatment with SCH23390 completely prevented the antinociceptive effect, while naloxone partially prevented it. The possible involvement of the dopaminergic system in the actions of T. catigua extract was substantiated by data showing the potentiation of apomorphine-induced hypothermia and by the prevention of haloperidol-induced catalepsy. In conclusion, the antinociceptive effects of T. catigua extract seem to be mainly associated with the activation of dopaminergic system and, to a lesser extent, through interaction with opioid pathway.

Preclinical evaluation of Trichilia catigua extracts on the central nervous system of mice

“…Commercially available preparations containing Trichilia catigua have been shown to display relaxant actions in Corpus cavernosum strips from rabbits (Antunes et al, 2001), and to present antinociceptive (Viana et al, 2009) and anti-inflammatory (Quintão et al, 2008) properties. In 2005, Campos et al have demonstrated antidepressant-like effects for Trichilia catigua hydroethanolic extract in rodents submitted to the forced swimming test (FST).…”

Informal Trade of Psychoactive Herbal Products in the City of Diadema, SP, Brazil: Quality and Potential Risks

“…The species has been little studied in some animal trials, which suggest antinociceptive and antidepressant activity. The antidepressant activity was associated with modulation of the serotonergic and dopaminergic systems [13, 53, 54]. …”

Tonic, fortifier and aphrodisiac: adaptogens in the Brazilian folk medicine

“…Other species also described as catuaba are Erythroxylum vacciniifolium Mart., Erythroxylaceae, and Tetragastris catuaba Soares da Cunha, Burseraceae, to mention a few (Lorenzi & Matos, 2002). Some studies suggest a possible analgesic and antidepressant effect for the Trichilia catigua mediated by dopaminergic mechanisms (Campos et al, 2005;Viana et al, 2009), while rare are the studies on Anemopaegma arvense reported in the literature.…”