title: Ethanolic extract of Piper betle Linn. leaves reduces nociception via modulation of arachidonic acid pathway.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to evaluate the peripheral analgesic effect of Piper betle leaf extract (PBE) along with establishing its putative mechanism of action.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Swiss albino mice after pre-treatment (1 h) with different doses of PBE were injected 0.8% (v/v) acetic acid i.p.; the onset and number of writhes were noted up to 15 min. To evaluate the mechanism of action, the murine peritoneal exudate was incubated with PBE for 1 h, followed by exposure to arachidonic acid (AA) and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was measured by flow cytometry using 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PBE in a dose dependent manner significantly reduced acetic acid induced writhing response in mice (P < 0.001). In peritoneal exudates, PBE significantly inhibited AA induced generation of ROS, P < 0.01.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study indicates that PBE has promising analgesic activity, worthy of future pharmacological consideration.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Soumita
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: De
authors.forename: Niteeka
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Maroo
authors.forename: Piu
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Saha
authors.forename: Samik
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hazra
authors.forename: Mitali
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chatterjee
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D059225:Nociception / Q000187:drug effects*; D031701:Piper / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D016718:Arachidonic Acid
keywords: Analgesic; arachidonic acid; pain; reactive oxygen species; writhing