Vincristine (VCR) is a well-known anticancer drug which frequently induced
painful neuropathy and impairs the quality of life of patients. The present study was designed to investigate the alleviative potential of a novel cyclohexenone derivative (CHD), i.e., ethyl 6-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-oxo-4-phenylcyclohexe-3-enecarboxylate, against VCR-induced
neuropathic pain in mice model. VCR was administered intraperitoneally for 10 days in two cycles to induce
neuropathic pain. Static and dynamic
mechanical allodynia was evaluated using von Frey hair filaments and cotton buds, respectively. Paw
thermal hyperalgesia was determined through a hot plate analgesiometer. The tail cold immersion
hyperalgesia and paw cold
allodynia were determined by available standard protocols. The
formalin nociception was induced via subplantar injection of
formalin. The
antioxidant potential was evaluated via
2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl free radical scavenging activity. The outcome of this study revealed that CHD (30-45 mg/kg) and
gabapentin (75 mg/kg) significantly enhanced the paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) in static and dynamic
allodynia, respectively, and increased the PWL in
thermal hyperalgesia and tail withdrawal latency (TWL) as compared to the VCR-treated group. CHD significantly augmented the paw withdrawal duration (PWD) in paw cold
allodynia, while the same compound only increased the paw elevation and paw licking in the delayed phase of
formalin nociception. Moreover, CHD significantly inhibited the DPPH
free radical scavenging action (IC50 = 56),
butylated hydroxytoluene (
BHT) (IC50 = 39), and
ascorbic acid (IC50 = 2.93). In conclusion, CHD exhibited a profile of potential attenuative effect against the VCR-induced
neuropathic pain which might be attributed to its possible antinociceptive and
antioxidant effect.