Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of Citrus aurantium L. blossoms essential oil (neroli): involvement of the nitric oxide/cyclic-guanosine monophosphate pathway

Abstract The analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of Citrus aurantium L. blossoms essential oil (neroli) were investigated in mice and rats. The analgesic activity of neroli was assessed by acetic acid-induced writhing and Eddy’s hot plate methods, while acute and chronic anti-inflammatory effects were investigated by inflammatory paw edema in rat and the cotton pellet-induced granuloma tissue model, respectively. Mechanistic studies were conducted using L-nitro arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of NO synthase. Neroli significantly decreased the number of acetic acid-induced writhes in mice compared to animals that received vehicle only. Also, it exhibited a central analgesic effect, as evidenced by a significant increase in reaction time in the hot plate method. The oil also significantly reduced carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. The inhibitory activity of neroli (especially at 40 mg/kg) was found to be very close to the standard drug, diclofenac sodium (50 mg/kg). In cotton pellet-induced granuloma, neroli was effective regarding the transudate and granuloma formation amount. Neroli was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and twenty-three constituents, representing 91.0 % of the oil, were identified. The major components of neroli were characterized as linalool (28.5 %), linalyl acetate (19.6 %), nerolidol (9.1 %), E,E-farnesol (9.1 %), α-terpineol (4.9 %), and limonene (...
Source: Journal of Natural Medicines - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research