Sophoridine alleviates hyperalgesia and anxiety-like behavior in an inflammatory pain mouse model induced by complete freund’s adjuvant
Zheng Rong, Le Yang, Yue Chen, Yan Qin, Caiyan Cheng, Jun Zhao, Longfei Li, Xue Ma, Yumei Wu, Shui‐bing Liu, Yan-Ni Liang, Ming Zhao
Abstract
Chronic pain, along with comorbid psychiatric disorders, is a common problem worldwide. A growing number of studies have focused on non-opioid-based medicines, and billions of funds have been put into digging new analgesic mechanisms. Peripheral inflammation is one of the critical causes of chronic pain, and drugs with anti-inflammatory effects usually alleviate pain hypersensitivity. Sophoridine (SRI), one of the most abundant alkaloids in Chinese herbs, has been proved to exert antitumor, antivirus and anti-inflammation effects. Here, we evaluated the analgesic effect of SRI in an inflammatory pain mouse model induced by complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) injection. SRI treatment significantly decreased pro-inflammatory factors release after LPS stimuli in microglia. Three days of SRI treatment relieved CFA-induced mechanical hypersensitivity and anxiety-like behavior, and recovered abnormal neuroplasticity in the anterior cingulate cortex of mice. Therefore, SRI may be a candidate compound for the treatment of chronic inflammatory pain and may serve as a structural basis for the development of new drugs.