Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of roots extracts from Actinidia arguta (Sieb.et Zucc.) Planch

Aims: The roots of Actinidia arguta (Sieb. et Zucc.) Planch (also named tengligen) have medicinal uses as anti-tumour, antinociceptive, and anti-inflammatory agents. In this study, we evaluated the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of 95% ethanol extract and different fractions of the roots of A. arguta (Sieb.et Zucc.) Planch (Tengligen). Methods: Three conventional methods were used to carry out the antinociceptive effect: acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing, formalin induced hind paw licking, and hot plate test. In addition, the anti-inflammatory effect was investigated by carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. Conclusion: From the obtained results, we found that the total ethanol extract, ethyl acetate fraction, and n-butanol fraction all significantly inhibited acetic acid-induced writhing and both phases of the formalin induced pain response, increased the time of response to thermal stimulation in hot plate test, and exhibited significant dose-related inhibition of carrageenan induced paw edema volumes when compared with the control group. Based on our findings, we conclude that the flavonoid and saponin contents of tengligen are responsible for the antinociception and anti-inflammatory effects of Actinidia arguta (Sieb. et Zucc.) Planch, respectively.

Key words:Actinidia arguta (Sieb.et Zucc.) Planch; antinociceptive; anti-inflammatory.