evaluation of antinociceptive effect of galbanum by formalin test in mice

abstract: introduction & objective: ferula gummosa boiss (apiaceae) is a perennial plant native to iran and afghanistan. like many plants, this species contains active biological compounds including monoterpenes, alfa pinene and alkaloids which have been demonstrated in phytochemical analysis of different extract of this species. in iranian traditional medicine ferula gummosa has been used in intestinal disorders, asthma and convulsion. previous studies showed that galbanum is effective in relieving pain in hot plate test model. in this study analgesic effect of intra peritoneal injection of galbanum (ferula exudates) was evaluated by formalin test and was compared with the analgesic effect of morphine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. material & methods: this experimental study was done from july 2003 through 2004 in shiraz university of medical sciences. 120 male syrian mice weighing 25-32g, in ten groups were used in this study. mice were pretreated intra peritoneally (i.p.) 15 minutes before formalin injection, with galbanum (100 mg/kg), morphine (4&6 mg/kg) and sodium salicylate (100&200 mg/kg). in vehicle groups, equal volume of solvent (normal saline and/or dmso) was injected 15 minutes before formalin test. in diclofenac- sodium (5&10 mg/kg, i.p.) and piroxicam (50 mg/kg, i.p.) groups, animals were pretreated with these drugs 30 minutes before formalin injection. control group was not pretreated with any drug before formalin test. data obtained from formalin test were expressed as mean±sem and were analyzed by anova and tukey test. results: results of the present study showed that intra peritoneal injection of galbanum (100 mg/kg) reduced the pain score in acute phase of formalin test (2.28±0.05) and also in chronic phase (1.09±0.03). these differences were significant, in comparison with control values, in both phases (p<0.05). conclusion: according to our findings, intra peritoneal injection of galbanum (100 mg/kg), like nsaids and morphine, reduces acute and chronic pain in formalin test. moreover, galbanum along with diclofenac has additive effect at chronic phase of formalin test, which means that it may have an anti-inflammatory effect as well.