The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible antinociceptive effect of
mangiferin, a glucosylxanthone present in Mangifera indica L., in inflammatory
pain. Furthermore, we sought to investigate the possible mechanisms action that contributes to these effects. The ipsilateral local peripheral (1-30 µg/paw), intrathecal (1-30 µg/rat) and oral (1-30 mg/kg) administration of
mangiferin produced a dose-dependent reduction in
formalin-induced nociception. The antinociceptive effect of this
drug was similar to that induced by
diclofenac after oral and local peripheral administration. Furthermore,
mangiferin was also able to reduce 0.1%
capsaicin- and
serotonin-induced nociceptive behavior. The local peripheral antinociceptive effect of
mangiferin in the
formalin test was blocked by
naloxone (50 μg/paw),
naltrindole (1 μg/paw), 5-guanidinonaltrindole (5-GNTI, 1 μg/paw), N(G)-L-nitro-
arginine methyl ester (
L-NAME, 100 µg/paw), 1H-(1,2,4)-oxadiazolo [4,2-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ, 50 µg/paw) and
glibenclamide (50 μg/paw), but not by
methiothepin (30 μg/paw). These results suggest that the antinociceptive effects induced by
mangiferin are mediated by the peripheral opioidergic system involving the activation of δ, κ, and probably µ, receptors, but not serotonergic receptors. Data also suggests that
mangiferin activates the NO-
cyclic GMP-
ATP-sensitive K(+) channels pathway in order to produce its local peripheral antinociceptive effect in the
formalin test.
Mangiferin may prove to be effective in treating inflammatory
pain in humans.