Anti-nociceptive activity of Biochanin A- an important isoflavone from natural source

Introduction

Biochanin A is an important isoflavone reported in plants such as Trifolium pratense. It has exhibited significant anti-inflammatory activity. The present work was designed to study its effects in animal models of nociception.

Methods

Albino Wistar rats were orally administered with Biochanin A, at dose levels of 10, 20, and 40 mg/kg. The anti-nociceptive activity was evaluated using hot plate, tail-immersion, and formalin-induced nociception models.

Results

In tail immersion test, maximum tail withdrawal response of animals treated with Biochanin A was observed at dose of 40 mg/kg at 3 h (p < 0.001), which was significantly higher than control animals. In the hot plate test, Biochanin A treated rats showed significant improvement in response time, achieving a peak response at 45 min (p < 0.001) when compared to control animals. Treatment with Biochanin A also showed a significantly decreased nociception in the formalin test (p < 0.001) at doses of 20 and 40 mg/kg.

Conclusion

From the results, it can be concluded that Biochanin A has significant effect in management of central and peripheral pain.