ANTI-NOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF AGRIMONIA EUPATORIA EXTRACT ON A CISPLATIN-INDUCED NEUROPATHIC MODEL

Background: Natural products including Agrimonia eupatoria are considered an incomparable source of molecular diversity that has led to the medicines, especially for pain treatment. To investigate the antinociception of Agrimonia eupatoria , we examined its activity in a rat model of cisplatin neuropathy. Materials and Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats received intraperitoneal (i.p.) cisplatin twice a week at a dose of 2 mg/kg (cumulative dose, 20 mg/kg) for 4 weeks. Before each injection, 2 ml of sterile saline solution was given subcutaneously to prevent renal damage via hyperhydration. The mice were treated with gabapetin as a positive control drug with a 100mg/kg intraperitoneal injection. A. eupatoria extract of 200mg/kg was solved in saline and then treated by oral administration. Results: The mice treated with A. eupatoria showed lower withdrawal duration in the pin-prick and plantar tests, and a higher withdrawal threshold in the paw-withdrawal threshold test as compared to control animals in a cisplatin-induced neuropathic model. In the case of cold-allodynia, A. eupatoria treatment increased paw-withdrawal duration in a chemical test. A. eupatoria showed a more outstanding effect than gabapentin in all used tests for preventing cisplatin-induced nerve injury for 4 weeks. Conclusions: Our results suggest that A. eupatoria extract showed an antinociceptive effect in the pin-prick test, plantar test, and paw-withdrawal threshold test using a cisplatin-induced neuropathic rat model. Keywords: Agrimonia eupatoria , Cisplatin, Nociception, Hyperalgesia