A Study of Acute and Chronic Anti-nociceptive and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Thiamine in Mice

Background: Thiamine (VitB1) is a vitamin with various important physiological functions and postulated therapeutic effects. Its use as an analgesic in neuropathic pain has been undergoing in clinical settings. However, there has been little experimental investigation on this effect. In this study, anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of thiamine were investigated in mice.

Methods: Three doses of thiamine (50, 100 and 125 mg/kg) were used by intraperitoneal injection in this study. Acute and chronic anti-nociceptive effects were examined using hot plate test alone and after sciatic nerve ligation, respectively. Imipramine (40 mg/kg) was used as positive control. Anti-inflammatory effects of thiamine on acute and chronic inflammation were assessed using xylene-induced edema in ears and granuloma caused by compressed cotton implantation, respectively. Sodium diclofenac (15 mg/kg) was used as positive control. Open field test was performed to differentiate the mice responses in the acute anti-nociceptive tests.

Results: All three doses of thiamine showed significant analgesic effects in non-ligated mice and also in neuropathic pain in ligated animals. Increasing the dose of thiamine correlated with a more pronounced and sustained effect. Acute anti-inflammatory investigation showed that thiamine injected 30 or 60 minutes before xylene application reduced the weight of edematic ears. However, the effect of thiamine was less pronounced than diclofenac. Furthermore, when injected once daily for 7 days, all doses of thiamine significantly reduced the weight of the cotton disks, showing suppression of granuloma formation.

Conclusion: Taken together, it has been shown that thiamine possesses remarkable analgesic activities and also has significant anti-inflammatory effects, confirming its clinical use in controlling pain and less in inflammation.