Analgesic Effect of <i>Ilex paraguariensis</i> Extract on Postoperative and Neuropathic Pain in Rats

Abstract

Ilex paraguariensis, known as "Yerba Mate," is an herb used in a beverage that is widely consumed in southern Latin American countries. Furthermore, it has been traditionally used to treat depression, and as an analgesic to manage both nerve pain and headache. The pain-related experimental evidence regarding the analgesic effects of Mate is unclear. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate whether Mate extract exhibits analgesic effects in both the plantar incision and spared nerve injury (SNI) models in rats. We tested the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) using von Frey filaments. We also tested pain-related behavior using ultrasonic vocalization (USV). Neuropeptide Y (NPY) and pain-related cytokines were also determined in the dorsal root ganglia in a rat model of SNI. Our results showed that oral administration of Mate extract significantly increased MWT values, and reduced the number of 22-27 kHz USVs 24 h after the plantar incision operation. Moreover, after 15 d of continuous treatment with Mate extract, the SNI-induced hypersensitivity, cytokine levels, and NPY expression were significantly reduced compared to the corresponding findings in the control group. These results suggest that the intake of Mate extract has potential as a treatment for both postoperative pain and neuropathic pain.

Ilex paraguariensis extract as an alternative to pain medications

“…The main findings reported in this work indicate that treatment with Ilex paraguariensis extract was able to relieve the orofacial pain induced by formalin in mice, being in agreement with studies suggesting that natural products have antinociceptive effects in experimental models (6,26). The CEIP proved to have an antinociceptive effect that may be related to the presence of the flavonoids and phenolic acids (31,32).…”

Current Knowledge of the Antidepressant Activity of Chemical Compounds from Crocus sativus L.

“…It is reasonable to draw attention to the potential of the application of drugs based on phytochemicals with lower toxicity and effective action [ 70 , 71 , 72 ]. Currently, phytotherapy supporting the treatment of depression and alleviating its symptoms is based on various active chemical compounds obtained from many plant taxa from different families of monocotyledons: Cyperaceae [ 73 ], Iridaceae [ 71 , 74 , 75 ], Xanthorrhoeaceae [ 74 , 76 ] as well as dicotyledons, e.g., Apiaceae [ 77 ], Aquifoliaceae [ 78 , 79 ], Asteraceae [ 80 ], Capparaceae [ 81 , 82 ], Caprifoliaceae [ 83 , 84 ], Fabaceae [ 85 ], Hypericaceae [ 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 ], Lamiaceae [ 92 , 93 , 94 ], Lauraceae [ 95 ], Passifloraceae [ 96 , 97 , 98 ], Polygalaceae [ 99 ], Rutaceae [ 100 , 101 ], Thymelaeaceae [ 73 ], and Solanaceae [ 102 ] ( Table 1 ).…”

Erva-mate e neuroproteção: inovação e desenvolvimento territorial no Planalto Norte Catarinense com base em estudos pré-clínicos

“…Os artigos consultados demonstraram que a utilização de extratos de erva-mate possui efeitos significativos sob o sistema nervoso central, uma vez que já foram descritos efeitos tipo-ansiolítico (SANTOS et al, 2015), tipo-antidepressivo (REIS et al, 2014;LUDKA et al, 2016), estimulante (HECK;MEJIA, 2007), anticonvulsivante (BRANCO et al, 2013) e analgésico em modelo de dor neuropática pós-operatória (LIM et al, 2015). A utilização de extrato de erva-mate também aumenta as defesas antioxidante em regiões encefálicas (CITTADINI et al, 2015) e altera a secreção da enzima peroxidase (FILLIP et al, 2000).…”