Chronic pain management has several adverse effects and research looking for new and effective pain management drugs posing lower undesirable effects is necessary. Given the above, the pharmacological investigation of medicinal plants significantly contributes to the dissemination of plant-derived therapeutics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antinociceptive activity of the Psidium brownianum Mart ex DC. leaf essential oil (PBEO) and the participation of the opioid pathway in this effect in mice. Swiss Mus musculus male mice were tested using acute nociception models (acetic acid induced abdominal contortions, formalin, capsaicin and hot plate tests). The possible myorelaxant action of the PBEO was tested using the rotarod test. The essential oil reduced animal nociception in chemical and heat models, with this action being devoid of a myorelaxant effect. Naloxone (2 mg/kg, intraperitoneally - i.p.) partially antagonized the PBEO activity, possibly acting via opioid receptors. The results obtained provide evidence that the traditional Psidium brownianum use may be effective for pain treatment.
Keywords: Antinociceptive activity; Essential oil; Natural products; Psidium brownianum.
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