Antinociceptive Activity of Nortriptyline through the Adrenergic System - an in vivo Study in Mice

  • Fatemeh Tavakoli Department of Pharmacology, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, IRAN.
  • Seyed Hassan Hejazian Department of Physiology, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, IRAN.
  • Seyyed Mohsen Anoosheh Department of Pharmacology, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, IRAN.
Keywords: Nortriptyline, Hot-plate, Writhing test

Abstract

Background and Aim: Neuropathic pain results from nerve injury and nortriptyline, an antidepressant drug, has been approved for the treatment of several types of neuropathic pain. In this study we investigated the antinociceptive effect nortriptyline (45mg/kg body weight) of nortriptyline on thermal and acetic acid induced pain in mice. Methods: nortriptyline was dissolved in distillated water and injected i.p to male mice 15 minute before the onset of experiment. Writhing and hot-plate tests were applied to study the analgesic effect of nortriptyline and compared with that of diclofenac sodium (30 mg/kg, i.p.) or morphine (8 mg/kg, i.p). To investigate the mechanisms involved in antinociception, glutamic acid, naloxone, yohimbine, atropine, propranolol and ondansetron were used. These drugs were injected intraperitoneally 15 min before the administration of nortriptyline. The number of writhes were counted in 30 minutes and analyzed. Results: In this study nortriptyline exhibited a significant antinociceptive effect in both chronic and acute pain in mice. The antinociceptive effect induced by this gum in the writhing and hot plate test was reversed by the systemic administration of propranolol (β-adrenergic antagonist) and ondansetron but glutamic acid, naloxone and atropine did not reverse this effect. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that nortriptyline induced its antinociceptive through the adrenergic and/ or serotonergic system.

Published
2018-12-31
How to Cite
Tavakoli, F., Hejazian, S. H., & Anoosheh, S. M. (2018). Antinociceptive Activity of Nortriptyline through the Adrenergic System - an in vivo Study in Mice. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Physiology, 5(3), 120-122. https://doi.org/10.5530/ijcep.2018.5.3.3