ABSTRACT

Neuropathic pain can result from nerve injury, complication of diabetes, HIV infection and cancer. There are no defined guidelines for treatment and available treatments have often undesirable side effects. Hence, there is a adire need to develop treatment strategies which will be safe, effective and can be taken for prolonged time. Withania somnifera, a popular medicinal herb, has not been studied scientifically with respect to neuropathic pain. In this words plant material was extracted using various solvents. Neuropathic Pain was induced by Tibial and sural transection method. After induction, it resulted in development of chemical and heat evoked hyperalgesia, cold and mechanical allodynia. Rats treated with W. somnifera extract showed improvement in all pain related symptoms. Rats treated with extract showed improvement in biochemical parameters like production of superoxide ions, TBARs. myeloperoxidase and TNF-α. Anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties of extract could be responsible for these actions, hence it can be a potential candidate for treatment of neuropathic pain.