Abstract

Atemoya, from family Annonaceae, is an interspecific hybrid between Annona cherimola Mill and Annona squamosa L. It is a tree from a region in diversity of plants, the Caatinga, one of the main Brazilian biomes. In this research, the effects of ethanolic extract of atemoya (Acs-EtOH) were investigated in relief of pain and inflammation in experimental models in rodents. The evaluation of antinociceptive activity was carried out by the acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin and hot plate tests, while air pouch and carrageenan-induced peritonitis were used for anti-inflammatory profile. The motor coordination evaluation was performed by rota-rod test. Acs-EtOH (25, 50 and 100 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced the number of writhes with significant (p < 0.001) and decreased (p < 0.001) paw licking time in both phases of the formalin test. In the hot plate test, the latency was significant, reducing painful stimulus. In the anti-inflammatory models, Acs-EtOH inhibited significantly (p < 0.001) the migration of leukocytes in the air pouch and peritonitis tests. Significant inhibition of migration of leukocytes in the treated groups with different doses of the extract was observed. The results indicate that Acs-EtOH may provide a source of plant compounds with antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities.

Key words: Annonaceae, pain, inflammation, medicinal plants, caatinga.