Sites of analgesic action of 3,15-diacetylbenzoylaconine

In the rat hot plate test, vocalization induced by electric stimulation, tail flick test, and the mouse acetic acid writhing test, 3, 15-diacetylbenzoylaconine (DABA) ip exhibited a dose-dependent analgesic activity. Intrathecally (ith) administered DABA (527, 1186 micrograms.kg-1) had no analgesic action. Microinjection of DABA 35-75 micrograms.kg-1 or 20 micrograms into the cerebral ventricle (icv) or the periaqueductal gray (PAG) exerted a remarkable analgesic activity, which was abolished after bilateral lesions of locus coeruleus (LC). Microinjection of DABA (20 micrograms) into LC failed to produce apparent analgesic action. These results suggested that the sites of analgesia of DABA were mainly at the central supraspinal structures, and PAG was one of the primary sites, while LC was one of the intermediate links.