Antinociceptive effects of green synthesized copper nanoparticles alone or in combination with morphine

Hossein Mahmoudvand; Mojtaba Khaksarian; Katrin Ebrahimi; Sima Shiravand; Sareh Jahanbakhsh; Massumeh Niazi; Sedigheh Nadri

doi:10.1016/j.amsu.2019.12.006

Antinociceptive effects of green synthesized copper nanoparticles alone or in combination with morphine

Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2020 Jan 11:51:31-36. doi: 10.1016/j.amsu.2019.12.006. eCollection 2020 Mar.

Authors

Hossein Mahmoudvand¹, Mojtaba Khaksarian¹, Katrin Ebrahimi², Sima Shiravand³, Sareh Jahanbakhsh⁴, Massumeh Niazi⁴, Sedigheh Nadri⁵

Affiliations

¹ Razi Herbal Medicines Research Center, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
² Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran.
³ Department of Biochemistry, Lorestan Uniersity, Khorramabad, Iran.
⁴ Student Research Committee, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
⁵ Department of Anesthesiology, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antinociceptive effect of biosynthetic copper nanoparticles from aqueous extract of Capparis spinosa fruit.

Methods: In this study, green synthesis of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) was performed using C. spinosa extract according to the method described previously. The synthesized CuNPs were characterized using the UV-vis spectroscopy, Fourier transforms of infrared (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX). The antinociceptive effect of CuNPs was evaluated by tail-flick, hot-plate, and rotarod tests following the oral administration of mice with CuNPs at the concentrations of 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg for two weeks.

Results: The obtained maximum peak at the wavelength of 414 nm demonstrated the biosynthesis of the copper nanoparticles. SEM approved the particle size of CuNPs between 17 and 41 nm. The statistical analyses of the data of hot plate and tail-flick tests showed the potent analgesic effect of biosynthetic CuNPs. In this regard, the antinociceptive effect of at the doses of 75 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg plus morphine was significantly higher in comparison with the control group receiving morphine alone (P < 0.05). No significant (p > 0.05) difference was observed after the administration of CuNPs at the doses of 25, 50, and 75 mg/kg in the sensory-motor test.

Conclusion: The present investigation demonstrated the analgesic effects of CuNPs especially in combination with morphine. These findings can provide a new strategy for producing new antinociceptive medications in the future.

Keywords: BALB/c mice; Capparis spinosa; Copper; Nanoparticles; Tail flick test.