This study aimed to investigate the antimigraine potential of quercetin in migraine pain induced by nitroglycerin (NTG), 10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal injection in rats. Quercetin was administered orally for 1 week, and behavioral parameters associated with pain were assessed 30 min after NTG injection. At the end of the study, the rats were killed so that immunohistochemical examination of their brains could be performed. The time and frequency of rearing and sniffing in the category of exploratory behavior, walking in the category of locomotor behavior, and total time spent in the light chamber were reduced in the disease control group compared with the normal group during the assessment of behavioral parameters. Pathologic migraine criteria, such as increased levels of calcitonin gene-related peptide and increased release of c-fos cells, were more prominent in the caudal nucleus triceminalis of the NTG control group. In the treatment groups, behavioral and pathological measures were less severe after pretreatment with quercetin at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg. Therefore, it was concluded that quercetin improved the pain behavior of migraine patients in the NTG-induced migraine rat model. Quercetin is thought to have antimigraine effects due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. Quercetin may therefore be a novel agent that can treat or prevent migraine pain and associated avoidance behaviors.
Keywords: antimigraine; locomotor behavior; migraine; nitroglycerine; quercetin.