Chronic vitamin C administration induces thermal hyperalgesia in male rats

  • AS Oyadeyi Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, PMB 4000, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria
  • FO Ajao Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, PMB 4000, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria
  • AO Afolabi Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, PMB 4000, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria
  • US Udoh Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, PMB 4000, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, Nigeria
  • GF Ibironke Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
DOI: 10.4314/njhbs.v4i2.11559

Abstract

Against a backdrop of neurological effects, the effects of acute and chronic administration of vitamin C (600mg/kg) on pain processing were investigated in male rats. Chronic administration of vitamin C induced significant thermal hyperalgesia while acute administration had no effect. In addition, the intraperitoneal administration of vitamin C produced observable abdominal writtings similar to what has been observed with acetic acid. We conclude that chronic vitamin C exerts facilitatory central nervous system effects and a possibility of using intraperitoneal injection of vitamin C as an animal model of pain is suggested.

Keywords: vitamin C, pain, hyperalgesia, nociception, ascorbic acid

Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Sciences Vol. 4(2) 2005: 153-155
Published
2006-04-11
Issue
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2005)
Section
Articles
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eISSN: 1595-8272