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Chlorpheniramine produces cutaneous analgesia in rats

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Abstract

Background

This study sought to assess the cutaneous (peripheral) analgesic effects of antihistamine chlorpheniramine, compared with the long-lasting local anesthetic bupivacaine.

Methods

After chlorpheniramine and bupivacaine were subcutaneously injected under the dorsal skin of the rats, the cutaneous analgesia effect was quantitatively evaluated by scoring the number to which the animal failed to react (cutaneous trunci muscle reflex). The quality and duration of chlorpheniramine and bupivacaine on infiltrative cutaneous analgesia were compared.

Results

We revealed that subcutaneous chlorpheniramine, as well as the local anesthetic bupivacaine elicited cutaneous analgesia in a dosage-dependent manner. Based on their ED50s (50% effective doses), the relative potency was found to be chlorpheniramine [1.13 (1.05–1.22) μmol] < bupivacaine [0.52 (0.46–0.58) μmol] (p < 0.01). When comparing the ED25s, ED50s and ED75s, full recovery time induced by chlorpheniramine was longer (p < 0.01) than that induced by bupivacaine.

Conclusions

Our preclinical data demonstrated that both chlorpheniramine and bupivacaine dose-dependently provoked the cutaneous analgesic effects. Chlorpheniramine with a more prolonged duration was less potent than bupivacaine in inducing cutaneous analgesia.

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Funding

The financial support provided by the Grants (MOST 107-2628-B-039-001; MOST 107-2314-B-384-003-MY2) from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan.

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Author notes

  1. Yu-Wen Chen and Ching-Hsia Hung contributed to this experiment equally.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Surgery, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Liouying, Tainan, Taiwan

    Chong-Chi Chiu

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan, Taiwan

    Chong-Chi Chiu

  3. Department of Pharmacy, Chia Nan University of Pharmacy and Science, Tainan, Taiwan

    Kuo-Sheng Liu

  4. Department of Medical Research, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, Taiwan

    Yu-Wen Chen & Jhi-Joung Wang

  5. Department of Physical Therapy, College of Health Care, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Yu-Wen Chen

  6. Department of Physical Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1 Ta-Hsueh Road, Tainan, Taiwan

    Ching-Hsia Hung

  7. Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Ching-Hsia Hung

  8. Allied AI Biomed Center, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Tainan, Taiwan

    Jhi-Joung Wang

Authors
  1. Chong-Chi Chiu
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  2. Kuo-Sheng Liu
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  3. Yu-Wen Chen
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Correspondence to Ching-Hsia Hung.

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Chiu, CC., Liu, KS., Chen, YW. et al. Chlorpheniramine produces cutaneous analgesia in rats. Pharmacol. Rep 72, 827–832 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43440-019-00028-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s43440-019-00028-7

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