Effect of Arrabidaea Chica Verlot on Posttraumatic Neuropathic Pain in Rats

Abstract

The use of medicinal plants is a part of human evolution and plays an important role in the treatment of numerous diseases. Neuropathic pain is caused by an injury or disease of the somatosensory nervous system, which affects about 8% of the world population, and its management is considered a great challenge. In the search for new therapies, Arrabidaea chica (Humb. & Bonpl) Verlot, (A. chica), popularly known as carajirú and pariri, whose anti-inflammatory properties are scientifically proven and without evidence of neuropathic pain, appears in this scenario. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of fractions of the ethanolic extract of Arrabidaea chica in an experimental model of neuropathic pain induced by compression of the main trunk of the ciatic nerve in Wistar rats. After obtaining the extract by maceration with ethanol, fractionation was carried out to obtain fractions: hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and butanol. In vivo studies were performed using the von Frey, Rotarod and Weight bearing tests. The animals were treated for 15 days with the fractions of Arrabidaea chica at the dose 1 mg/kg/day. Gabapentin (1 mg/kg v.o) was used as a positive control. The pharmacological study significantly attenuated the behavioral manifestations of neuropathic pain in the animals treated with the fractions of the ethanolic extract of Arrabidaea the dose 1 mg/Kg v.o, compared to the saline group (0.1 ml/kg), confirming the antinociceptive action and antioxidants of the plant. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that the fractions of Arrabidaea chica present therapeutic potential for the treatment of neuropathic pain and/or adjuvant in the conventional treatment of the same.

Pharmacological potential of Fridericia Chica: traditional knowledge and chemical composition

“…In an experimental model of neuropathic pain in rats, a study was conducted to assess the efficacy of fractions from the plant's ethanolic extract. The test group animals were treated for 15 days with a dose of 1 mg/kg/day, exhibiting behavioural responses indicative of the attenuation of neuropathic pain compared to the negative control group (LIMA et al, 2022a).…”