Investigation of the Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Jojoba Liquid Wax

1. Investigation of the Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Jojoba Liquid Wax Islam Osman1, Laila Mahran1, Mahmoud Khattab2 1German University in Cairo – GUC, New Cairo City, Egypt; 2 Cairo University, Egypt *** *** Abstract Methodology Discussion Jojoba is a shrub grown in several American and African countries. Jojoba liquid wax (JLW), which is a major component of Jojoba seeds, was evaluated in the current study for its potential analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity. Results showed that JLW produced a dose-dependant significant inhibition of the acetic acid induced writhes (p<0.001) and an inhibition of the late phase of the formalin test (p<0.001). The demonstrated analgesic activity of JLW in these models was not abolished by the pretreatment with Naloxone, suggesting that the analgesic activity of JLW is not mediated by binding to the opiate receptors. JLW also caused inhibition of the acetic acid induced vascular permeability (p<0.001) and the carrageenan-induced paw edema (p<0.01) JLW was also able to minimize the histo-pathological changes that accompany the acute inflammatory process. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of JLW in combating pain and inflammation in several experimental models. Further investigations are needed to identify the active constituents and the exact mechanism(s) of action responsible for the reported analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of JLW. For the investigation of the analgesic activity of JLW, the acetic acid-induced writhing test and the formalin test were used; for the investigation of the anti-inflammatory activity of JLW, the acetic acid-induced vascular permeability test and the carrageenan-induced paw edema model, with subsequent histo-pathological examination of the carrageenan insulted paws were used. Pretreatment of mice with JLW produced a significant dose-dependant inhibition of the acetic acid-induced writhing behavior and the late phase of the formalin test. These demonstrated activities were not abolished by the pretreatment of mice with Naloxone. These results show that JLW possesses potential analgesic activity that is not mediated through the opiate system but rather it is mediated by modulating the action and/or the production of pro-nociceptive mediators. JLW was also able to inhibit the acetic acid-induced vascular permeability and the carrageenan-induced paw edema which demonstrates that JLW has anti-inflammatory activity as well. JLW was also able to minimize the histo-pathological changes that accompany the acute inflammatory process. *** *** Results Conclusion The results of the current study show that JLW possesses potential analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. Recommendations Histo-pathological examination Aim of the work Identification of the active constituents of JLW and identification of the molecular targets of JLW mediating its demonstrated analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. *** Investigation of the possible analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of JLW Inflamed control group JLW treated group