Antiinflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Higenamine, a Component of Aconiti Tuber

The antiinflammatory and analgesic activities of higenamine were evaluated by measuring edema volume and pain threshold in adjuvant arthritic rats and acetic acid-induced writhing test in mice. Higenamine, with consecutive oral administrations at doses of 10 and 50 mg/kg/day, showed significant antiedemic effect and elevation of pain threshold during the secondary lesion of adjuvant arthritis. Higenamine also showed a significant inhibition of acetic acid-induced writhing syndrome with a single oral administration (200 mg/kg). From these results, it is postulated that higenamine might possess both of centrally and peripherally mediated analgesic properties.