Antinociceptive Activities of the Methanolic Extract of the Stem Bark of Boswellia dalzielii Hutch. (Burseraceae) in Rats Are NO/cGMP/ATP-Sensitive-K+ Channel Activation Dependent

Marius Mbiantcha; Alain Ngouonpe Wembe; Amadou Dawe; William Yousseu Nana; Gilbert Ateufack

doi:10.1155/2017/6374907

Antinociceptive Activities of the Methanolic Extract of the Stem Bark of Boswellia dalzielii Hutch. (Burseraceae) in Rats Are NO/cGMP/ATP-Sensitive-K⁺ Channel Activation Dependent

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2017:2017:6374907. doi: 10.1155/2017/6374907. Epub 2017 Dec 6.

Authors

Marius Mbiantcha¹, Alain Ngouonpe Wembe², Amadou Dawe³, William Yousseu Nana¹, Gilbert Ateufack¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Animal Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
² Department of Chemistry, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaoundé l, P.O. Box 47, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
³ Department of Chemistry, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Maroua, P.O. Box 55, Maroua, Cameroon.

Abstract

Boswellia dalzielii (B. dalzielii) is traditionally used in the treatment of rheumatism, pain, and inflammation. The present investigation evaluates the property and possible mechanism of action of the methanolic extract of B. dalzielii (BDME) on inflammatory and neuropathic pain models. Effects of BDME (250 and 500 mg/kg), orally administered, were verified in mechanical hypernociception induced by LPS or PGE₂. Mechanical hyperalgesia, cold allodynia, and heat hyperalgesia were used in vincristine-induced neuropathic pain. NW-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase), glibenclamide (ATP-sensitive potassium channel blocker), methylene blue (cGMP blocker), or naloxone (opioid antagonist receptor) has been used to evaluate the therapeutic effects of BDME on PGE₂-induced hyperalgesia. Chemical profile of BDME was determined by using HPLC-XESI-PDA/MS. BDME showed significant antinociceptive effects in inflammatory pain caused by LPS and PGE₂. The extract also significantly inhibited neuropathic pain induced by vincristine. The antinociceptive property of BDME in PGE₂ model was significantly blocked by L-NAME, glibenclamide, methylene blue, or naloxone. The present work reveals the antinociceptive activities of BDME both in inflammatory and in neuropathic models of pain. This plant extract may be acting firstly by binding to opioid receptors and secondly by activating the NO/cGMP/ATP-sensitive-K⁺ channel pathway.