Anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of (-)-α-bisabolol in rodents

Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol. 2011 Dec;384(6):525-33. doi: 10.1007/s00210-011-0679-x. Epub 2011 Aug 26.

Abstract

(-)-α-Bisabolol is an unsaturated, optically active sesquiterpene alcohol obtained by the direct distillation of essential oil from plants such as Vanillosmopsis erythropappa and Matricaria chamomilla. (-)-α-Bisabolol has generated considerable economic interest, as it possesses a delicate floral odour and has been shown to have antiseptic and gastroprotective activities. In this study, (-)-α-bisabolol was tested in standardised rodent models by gavage administration at doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg in the models of inflammation and 25 and 50 mg/kg in the models of nociception. In the inflammatory models of paw oedema induced by carrageenan and dextran, the mice treated with (-)-α-bisabolol showed smaller oedemas compared to animals treated only with the vehicle. (-)-α-Bisabolol was capable of reducing paw oedemas induced by 5-HT but not oedemas induced by histamine. (-)-α-Bisabolol demonstrated anti-nociceptive activity in the models of visceral nociception induced by acetic acid and in the second phase of the nociception test induced by the intraplantar administration of formalin. (-)-α-Bisabolol did not have any effect in a thermal nociception model using a hot plate but was able to diminish mechanical inflammatory hypernociception evoked by carrageenan. These findings suggest that the anti-nociceptive action of (-)-α-bisabolol is not linked to a central mechanism but instead is related to the inflammatory process. (-)-α-Bisabolol was able to decrease leukocyte migration, protein extravasations and the amount of TNF-α to the peritoneal cavity in response to carrageenan. Additionally, (-)-α-bisabolol reduced neutrophil degranulation in response to phorbol-myristate-acetate. We demonstrate, for the first time, the peripheral anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive activities of (-)-α-bisabolol.

MeSH terms

  • Analgesics / administration & dosage
  • Analgesics / pharmacology
  • Animals
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / administration & dosage
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents / pharmacology
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Edema / drug therapy
  • Edema / physiopathology
  • Inflammation / drug therapy*
  • Inflammation / physiopathology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Monocyclic Sesquiterpenes
  • Neutrophils / drug effects
  • Neutrophils / metabolism
  • Pain / drug therapy*
  • Pain / physiopathology
  • Rats
  • Sesquiterpenes / administration & dosage
  • Sesquiterpenes / pharmacology*
  • Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate / pharmacology

Substances

  • Analgesics
  • Anti-Inflammatory Agents
  • Monocyclic Sesquiterpenes
  • Sesquiterpenes
  • bisabolol
  • Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate