title: Antinociceptive activity of fruits extracts and "arrope" of Geoffroea decorticans (chañar).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Geoffroea decorticans (chañar) fruits and their derivate product (arrope) have been traditionally used as food and a folk medicine for the treatment of a wide variety of diseases including bronchopulmonary disorders and to relieve dolorous process.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In order to evaluate the pharmacology action of this plant, studies were performed of antinociceptive and antioxidant activities.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aqueous and ethanolic extracts and arrope of chañar were evaluated in various established pain models, including chemical nociception induced by subplantar formalin and intraperitoneal acetic acid and thermal nociception method, such as tail immersion test in rats. To examine the possible connection of the opioid receptor to the antinociceptive activity of extracts and arrope it was performed a combination test with naloxone, a non-selective opioid receptor antagonist.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The aqueous extract and arrope (1000 mg/kg) caused an inhibition of the pain in formalin test in the first phase, similar to morphine and decrease in the second phase. In a combination test using naloxone, diminished analgesic activity of aqueous extract and arrope were observed, indicating that antinociceptive activity is connected with the opioid receptor. The aqueous extract and arrope, caused an inhibition of the writhing response induced by acetic acid. Central involvement in analgesic profile was confirmed by the tail immersion test, in which the aqueous extract and arrope showed a significant analgesic activity by increasing latency time. The aqueous extract showed higher antioxidant activity than the arrope, it may be due to the cooking process.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study has shown that the aqueous extract and arrope of Geoffroea decorticans (chañar) fruits, does possess significant antinociceptive effects. It is further concluded that aqueous extract with maximum inhibition of free radical is the most potent extract amount tested extracts. At the oral doses tested the aqueous extract and arrope were non-toxic. The present results justifies their popular use and constitutes the first validation study of the antinociceptive action.
authors.affiliation: Cátedra de Farmacodinamia, Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Chacabuco 461, 4000 Tucumán, Argentina. mareynosofbqf@hotmail.com
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Reynoso
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vera
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Aristimuño
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daud
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sánchez Riera
mesh_terms: D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000032:analysis; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry*; D041743:Herb-Drug Interactions; D008297:Male; D009270:Naloxone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D010146:Pain / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D019999:Pharmaceutical Solutions / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010636:Phenols / Q000032:analysis; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000975:Antioxidants; D005419:Flavonoids; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D019999:Pharmaceutical Solutions; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D009270:Naloxone