Intracerebroventricular gisenosides are antinociceptive in proinflammatory cytokine-induced pain behaviors of mice.

Several ginsenoside (R_b1, R_b2, R_c, R_d, R_e, R_f, R_g1 and R_g3) are neuroprotective and antinociceptive agents. In this study, we assessed the effects of these ginsenosides following intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration on the nociceptive behaviors induced by intrathecal injection of pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interferon-γ (IFN-γ)). The ginsenosides, R_b1, R_b2, R_c, R_d, R_e, R_f and R_g1, significantly attenuated the nociceptive behavior induced by TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFN-γ injection, but ginsenoside-R_g3 did not. These results suggest that several ginsenosides may regulate the nociceptive processing induced by pro-inflammatory cytokines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]