Biology and Medicine

Abstract

Neuroprotective and Anti-nociceptive Potential of Ambroxol in Oxaliplatin Induced Peripheral Neuropathic Pain in Rats

Hukkam Chand Bhardwaj, Muthuraman Arunachalam, S.L Hari Kumar and Silvia Navis

The present study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective and anti-nociceptive effects of Ambroxol in oxaliplatin induced neuropathic pain in rats. Administration of oxaliplatin (2.4 mg/kg, i.p.) for 3 weeks (5 injections per week) significantly induces neuropathic pain. The symptoms of hyperalgesia and allodynia were assessed with various behavioral models i.e., paw thermal hyperalgesia, tail-cold hyperalgesia and paw cold allodynia via hot-plate test, cold-water tail immersion test and acetone drop test at different interval of 0,1,7,14 and 21 days. Moreover, oxaliplatin administration also increases oxidative stress markers i.e., thio-barbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), superoxide anion content and inflammatory mediators like tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) were biochemically assessed from sciatic nerve tissue and surrounding muscular tissue homogenates respectively. Pharmacological co-treatments with ambroxol (1000 mg/kg, p.o.), carbamazepine (100 mg/kg, p.o.) and combination of ambroxol with pregabalin (10 mg/kg, p.o.) for 21 days (one hour prior to oxaliplatin injection), significantly ameliorate the oxaliplatin induced neuropathic pain by attenuating thermal heat hyperalgesia, tail-cold hyperalgesia and cold allodynia along with decreasing oxidative stress markers and inflammatory mediators. Therefore, on the basis of data in hand from present study, it has been concluded that ambroxol have ameliorative potential effect in oxaliplatin induced neuropathic pain.