Pharmacological Investigations on Certain Trihydroxy Flavones

Abstract

The most common motivation to seek immediate medical attention is the suffering of pain. Acute pain due to any injury to the skin or superficial tissues is usually well defined and easily treatable. Visceral pain and neuropathic pain are refractory to conventional pain management. The main objective of the present study was to conduct a systematic screening of structurally related trihydroxy flavone compounds (3,3 ,4 -trihydroxy flavone, 3,6,3 -trihydroxy flavone, 6,3 4 -trihydroxy flavone and 7,8,3 -trihydroxy flavones) for their antinociceptive and antiinflammatory potential. These trihydroxy flavone compounds have hitherto not been subjected to any biological screening. Pain and inflammation are complex processes involving multitude of endogenous chemicals and neurotransmitters. Significant advancement in understanding the patho-physiology of pain and inflammation have identified multiple targets to alleviate them. Morphine and many of its synthetic derivatives as well as a wide variety of NSAID are used for many decades for this purpose. Eventhough, these drugs offer considerable relief, their inherent side effects limit their regular use in chronic pain or inflammatory diseases. Recent investigations on flavone compounds have indicated them as novel therapeutic agents in many diseases. Identification of an unique combination of analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities without provoking gastric ulceration makes flavones to be highly preferred candidates to treat pain and inflammation. The present study has revealed significant antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of a few trihydroxy flavones and also has added a few more compounds to the arena of biologically effective flavone compounds for therapeutic exploitation. The multiple pathways through which flavones may bring about their beneficial effects also have been identified in the present study. Future organised clinical investigations shall reveal the utility of these compounds either alone or as adjuncts to currently employed analgesic and antiinfllammtory drugs.