COMPARATIVE ANTI-NOCICEPTIVE, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND TOXICITY PROFILE OF NIMESULIDE vs NIMESULIDE AND PIPERINE COMBINATION

Piperine is an inhibitor of various hepatic and other enzymes involved in the biotransformation of drugs. Preliminary pharmacokinetic studies conducted by us suggested the increased bioavailability of nimesulide co-administered with piperine. The present study was, thus, conducted to evaluate the antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and toxicity profile of a new nimesulide–piperine combination administered orally as compared with nimesulide alone. Antinociceptive efficacy was tested using an acetic acid writhing test and tail flick latency test (TFL). The ED50 value of a nimesulide–piperine combination in writhing test was calculated to be significantly lower (1.5 mg kg−1) as compared to (11.2 mg kg−1) of nimesulide alone. The antinociceptive effect was lesser in the tail flick latency test as compared to what was observed in the writhing test indicating the peripheral action of the Non-Steriodal Anti-Inflammatory Drug (NSAID). In carrageenan-induced inflammatory tests, the nimesulide–piperine combination was found to be dose-to-dose superior than nimesulide alone. Acute toxicity studies on mice revealed a reduction in lethal dose (LD50) of the combination (980 mg kg−1) as compared to nimesulide (1500 mg kg−1) alone. Results from the present study suggest a better therapeutic index for the nimesulide–piperine combination indicating that this combination would further reduce the frequency of adverse effects associated with nimesulide alone.