Suppression of the Excitability of Rat Nociceptive Primary Sensory Neurons Following Local Administration of the Phytochemical, Quercetin

•Local quercetin injection suppressed nociceptive trigeminal ganglia neuronal activity.•Neuronal firing dose-dependently inhibited by quercetin.•Inhibitory effect of quercetin lasted for 15 minutes and was reversible.•Inhibition potency of quercetin almost equal to that of 2% lidocaine.•Quercetin may be an effective treatment option for trigeminal pain. Although the modulatory effect of quercetin on voltage-gated Na, K, and Ca channels has been studied in vitro, the in vivo effect of quercetin on the excitability of nociceptive primary neurons remains to be determined. The aim of the present study was to examine whether acute local quercetin administration to rats attenuates the excitability of nociceptive trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons in response to mechanical stimulation in vivo. Extracellular single unit recordings were made from TG neurons of anesthetized rats in response to orofacial non-noxious and noxious mechanical stimulation. The mean firing frequency of TG neurons in response to both non-noxious and noxious mechanical stimuli was dose-dependently inhibited by quercetin, and maximum inhibition of the discharge frequency of both non-noxious and noxious mechanical stimuli was seen within 10 min. The inhibitory effect of quercetin lasted for 15 minutes and was reversible. The mean magnitude of inhibition on TG neuronal discharge frequency with 10 mM quercetin was almost equal to that of the local anesthetic, 2% lidocaine. These results suggest that local injection of quercetin into the peripheral receptive field suppresses the excitability of nociceptive primary sensory neurons in the TG, possibly via inhibition of voltage-gated Na channels and opening voltage-gated K channels. Local administration of the phytochemical, quercetin, as a local anesthetic may provide relief from trigeminal nociceptive pain with smallest side effects, thus contributing to the area of complementary and alternative medicines.