Antinociceptive effects of the essential oil of Alpinia zerumbet on mice

Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) Burtt. et Smith is an aromatic plant that is distributed widely in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. In Brazil, where A. zerumbet is called “colonia”, it is used widely in folk medicine for the treatment of various diseases, including hypertension. In the present study, the antinociceptive effects of the orally administered essential oil of A. zerumbet (EOAz) were evaluated in male Swiss mice (20-25 g each). In the acetic acid-induced writhing test, EOAz (30, 100 and 300 mg/kg body wt.; n=10, n=13 and n=15, respectively) was effective at all doses. In the hot-plate test, EOAz significantly increased the latency at doses of 100 and 300 mg/kg body wt., but not at 30 mg/kg body wt., at all observation times up to the 180th min (n=10 for each dose). In the formalin test, EOAz significantly reduced paw licking time in the second phase of the test at 100 mg/kg body wt. (n=10), but decreased it in both phases at 300 mg/kg body wt. (n=10). At 30 mg/kg body wt., the effect of EOAz did not differ from control values in either phase of the formalin test (n=10). Pretreatment with naloxone (5 mg/kg body wt., i.p.) caused a significant reversal of the analgesic effect of 300 mg/kg body wt. EOAz (n=8) that was complete for the first phase, but only partial for the second phase of the formalin test. The data show that orally administered OEAz promotes a dose-dependent antinociceptive effect, with a mechanism of action which probably involves the participation of opiate receptors.