Mitigation of sciatica injury-induced neuropathic pain through active metabolites derived from medicinal plants

Abstract

Sciatica characterized by irritation, inflammation, and compression of the lower back nerve, is considered one of the most common back ailments globally. Currently, the therapeutic regimens for sciatica are experiencing a paradigm shift from the conventional pharmacological approach toward exploring potent phytochemicals from medicinal plants. There is a dire need to identify novel phytochemicals with anti-neuropathic potential. This review aimed to identify the potent phytochemicals from diverse medicinal plants capable of alleviating neuropathic pain associated with sciatica. This review describes the pathophysiology of sciatic nerve pain, its cellular mechanisms, and the pharmacological potential of various plants and phytochemicals using animal-based models of sciatic nerve injury-induced pain. Extensive searches across databases such as Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar were conducted. The findings highlights 39 families including Lamiaceae, Asteraceae, Fabaceae, and Apocyanaceae and Cucurbitaceae, effectively treating sciatic nerve injury-induced pain. Flavonoids made up 53% constituents, phenols and terpenoids made up 15%, alkaloids made up 13%, and glycosides made up 6% to be used in neuorpathic pain. Phytochemicals derived from various medicinal plants can serve as potential therapeutic targets for both acute and chronic sciatic injury-induced neuropathic pain.

Keywords: Mechanisms of action; Medicinal plants; Phytoconstituents; Prevalence; Sciatica pain.