PUNICA GRANATUM ATTENUATES SCIATIC NERVE LIGATION INDUCED-NEUROPATHIC PAIN

The study has been designed to investigate the effect of aqueous extract of rind of Punica granatum in sciatic nerve ligation induced-neuropathic pain in rats. Surgical procedure was performed with sciatic nerve ligation to develop neuropathic pain in rats. The development of neuropathic pain was assessed by employing behaviour parameters such as hyperalgesia and allodynia. Further, the functionality of sciatic nerve was assessed using the histopathological study of myelinated and unmyelinated fibers in sciatic nerve. Moreover, the oxidative stress was assessed by estimating serum thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), catalase, glutathione and tissue TBARS and Superoxide dismutase (SOD). Rats exposed to sciatic nerve ligation produced marked increase in oxidative stress, which was assessed in terms of TBARS and SOD along with decrease in the level of catalase and glutathione. Moreover, it develops neuropathic pain by impairing the normal functions of myelinated and unmyelinated fibers in sciatic nerve. Treatment with aqueous extract of Punica granatum extract (100mg/kg, p.o) markedly prevented sciatic nerve ligation-induced neuropathy and oxidative stress by increasing the pain threshold, by improving the functionality  of sciatic nerve, by decreasing serum and tissue TBARS and tissue SOD, by increasing levels of serum glutathione and catalase. It may be concluded that Punica granatum extract reduced the oxidative stress via inhibiting p³⁸MAPK and alleviates neuropathic symptoms and consequently improved the functionality of sciatic nerve and prevents sciatic nerve ligation–induced neuropathic pain.