The aim of the present study was to investigate the analgesic effects and mechanism of action of Trametes versicolor (Tv) mycelium powder. Wistar rats were randomly divided into the following three or four groups: i) Saline group, fed saline; ii) Tv 500 group, fed 500 mg/kg Tv; iii) ASA 50 group, fed 50 mg/kg acetylsalicylic acid (ASA); and iv) ASA 100 group, fed 100 mg/kg ASA. Chemical formalin tests and thermal hot plate tests were used to investigate the analgesic effects of each group. ELISAs were performed to detect cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) plasma levels, and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used for quality control the active component, oleanolic acid (OA) in Tv that had the analgesic effect. The OA content in aqueous Tv extract was found to be 11.92 % by HPLC assays. The licking frequencies in the early phase and late phase of the formalin test were significantly lower in the Tv 500 and ASA 100 groups than the saline group. The licking time in the late phase were also significantly lower in the Tv 500 and ASA 100 groups than the saline group. The plasma levels of COX-2 and PGE2 were decreased significantly in the Tv 500 and ASA 100 groups compared with that of the saline group at 60 min in the formalin test. In addition, oral feeding with 500 mg/kg Tv may effectively reduce physical pain triggered by hot plates in Wistar rats. Taken together, the acetylsalicylic acid-like analgesic effects of Tv in Wistar rats may be associated with the reduction of the plasma COX-2 and PGE2 levels.
Keywords: Acetylsalicylic acid; Analgesic; Formalin test; Hot plate test; Oleanolic acid; Trametes versicolor.
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