Painkillers from Plants

What are pain killers?

Painkillers are compounds or drugs which block the perception of pain either by binding to specific receptors. Different painkillers bind to different types of receptors to give similar results. In case of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), it binds to the site where COX (cyclo-oxygenase) inhibitor binds thus stopping the production of this enzyme.

COX enzyme is responsible for production of prostaglandins which in-turn are involved in the perception of pain and inflammation.

Opioids are another type of painkillers which work by binding to opioid receptors present in the central nervous system. Due to this the perception of pain is reduced.

The exact mechanism of aspirin is not clear yet.

Pain killers from plants:

Different plants produce different compounds which can act as painkillers for humans. These compounds are usually secondary metabolites which the plant does not use in daily metabolism processes, however they do play a role in defence mechanism of plants.

For example:

1)    Willow which belong to the genus Salix produce various secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, glycosides, organic acids and derivatives. Among the many metabolites one is salicin which is a prodrug to salicylic acid (salicylic acid is the precursor of aspirin). The use of this plant has been mentioned in ancient texts from Egypt and Greece as a remedy for fever and pains.

2)    Papaver somniferum also known as opium poppy is a plant whose latex of seed pods contains several alkaloids such as codeine, thebaine, morphine, oripavine, papaverine. The epithet “somniferum” means sleep bringing which is reference to its sedative properties. Opioids inhibit the transmission of pain signals by binding to specific sites which are present on neurons.

3)    Cannabis sativa also known as hemp, marijuana is a plant which produces cannabinoids as a secondary metabolite. These secondary metabolites have analgesic properties among others.

Cannabinoids work by inhibiting the release of neuro-transmitters for some kinds of pain.

They also bind to specific type of receptors which are present in the central nervous system.

References:

1)    https://patient.info/treatment-medication/painkillers

2)    https://www.epainassist.com/opioid-treatment/medications/what-are-painkillers

3)    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21226125/

4)    https://phyto-chem.com/2020/05/12/why-do-plants-produce-painkillers/

5)    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7908037/

6)    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willow#Medicinal

7)    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papaver_somniferum#Opiates

8)    https://www.ebmconsult.com/articles/opioid-agonist-pain-mechanism-CNS

9)    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6277878/

10  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_sativa#Chemical_constituents

 

Anirudh Paidimarry (Roll No. 1508)

           S. Y. B. Sc. (CB), TCSC

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is bamboo a tree or a grass?

Image
The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. Japanese proverb This is most common question they ask on nature trail , and people get  amused  after knowing Bamboo TREE is actually a  grass . But technically answer is not that easy. Lets check  tree [tree]  noun 1. a   plant   having   a   permanently   woody   main   stem   or  trunk,   ordinarily   growing   to   a   considerable   height, and   usually   developing   branches   at   some   distance  from   the   ground.                              grass   noun 1. any   plant   of   the   family   Gramineae,   having   jointed  stems,   sheathing   leaves,   and   seedlike   grains.  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/grass?s=t So from this we can conclude that Bamboo is a tree belongs to grass family. But in country like lndia with   11.36 million hectares of bomboo its million dollar question and answer is not that easy . If bamboo is a tree its property  of forest department and they can sell it for revenue gen
Read more

Monsoon Flowers in Sahyadri

The scorching, dry summer bakes Sahyadri's hilltops. Dark monsoon clouds began to amass on the horizon sometime in the final week of May. Sahyadri's majestic summits will soon be covered in an endless sea of clouds. Monsoon brings new elixirs of life to the hills, and life covers every inch of the land. Suddenly, the mountains are covered in carpets of gorgeous wildflowers. During the monsoon season, this bloom appears twice. The first bloom occurs shortly after the first rains fall, and it is only very briefly present, lasting one or two weeks. The second bloom starts in midSeptember when the rains are on their final leg and lasts until mid-October.
Read more