Anti-nociceptive effect of oral and intraperitoneal administration of alcoholic Viscum album fruit extract in male rats

Objective: The present study was for investigation of the analgesic effect of oral and intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of alcoholic Viscum album L (V. album) fruit extract as a rich source of alkaloid substances.
Materials and Methods: Experimented animals were divided to control and treatment groups. The treatment group received different doses of the extract which was prepared from alcoholic smashed fruits. Then, the animals from each group were subjected to pain scoring experiments such as hot plate and formalin tests.
Results: The results of the experiments i.e., anti-nociceptive effect of V. album extract in i.p. (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg) and oral application method V. album (6.25% food pellet) were compared with others and morphine sulfate and naloxone as positive and negative control groups, respectively. However, the extract over than 100 mg/kg i.p. could potentially alleviate the pain in hot plate and both phases of formalin test. Besides, there was a marked anti-nociceptive effect of the extract (over than 200 mg/kg) in oral method in hot plate and both phases of formalin tests. In our next experiments, the effective doses of morphine sulfate as the positive control drug were obtained over than 15 mg/kg; i.p.
Conclusion: In summary, by comparing the analgesic effect of different doses of morphine sulfate with V. album fruit extract in i.p. and oral conditions and regarding the extract LD50, it is concluded that the V. album fruit extract has a potent, semi-absorbable, and nearly safe ingredient which can exert a potential analgesic effect in acute and chronic pain.