Antinociceptive Effects of Pomegranate
(Punica granatum L.) Juice and Seed Extracts
on Acute Corneal Pain in Mice
Zahra Malek1, Shirin Mansoori Dara1, Mahsa Hadipour Jahromy2*
1Medical Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad
University, Tehran, Iran

 

Abstract

In the present study, the antinociceptive effects of acute (2, 4 and 6 ml/kg) and chronic (1, 2 and 3 ml/kg for 14 days) oral administration of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) juice and seed extract with or without morphine and naloxane were investigated on hypertonic saline-induced acute corneal pain perception in mice. 
The number of eye wipes with a forelimb was counted for a period of 30 seconds as the criterion for pain assessment. Acute oral administration of the extract
(at 6 ml/kg dose, once) and chronic oral administration (at 2 and 3 ml/kg for 14 days each) significantly decreased the number of eye wipes after subcutaneous injection of morphine (2 mg/kg, sc), naloxone (2 mg/kg, sc) and normal saline (2 mg/kg, sc) compared with control (p < 0.05). The
morphine-induced antinociception was significantly improved by both acute and chronic oral administrations of pomegranate extract (p < 0.05). Naloxone (2 mg/kg, sc) did not reverse the antinociceptive effects of acute (at 6 ml/kg dose, once, oral) and chronic (at 2 and 3 ml/kg for 14 days
each) treatments. 

These findings demonstrate that acute high-dose and long-term lower-dose of pomegranate juice and seed extract can decrease acute corneal pain and improve morphine-induced antinociception in mice.
Keywords
Punica granatum, Morphine, Naloxone, Acute Corneal Pain, Mice