Ibrahem Waheed Khadum, Basim J Hameed , Qutaiba A Qasim

Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Basra, Basra, Iraq;

For correspondence:-  Basim Hameed   Email: basim.hameed@uobasrah.edu.iq

Received: 8 June 2026        Accepted: 19 September 2026        Published: 30 September 2026

Citation: Khadum IW, Hameed BJ, Qasim QA. Synergistic analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of alpha-lipoic acid co-administration with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in mice model. Trop J Pharm Res 2026; 25(9):1231-1236 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v25i9.6

© 2026 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the synergistic analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of alpha-lipoic acid (α-ALA) co-administered with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Methods: A total of 48 Albino mice were randomly and equally assigned to 8 groups. Group 1 was the control and received the vehicle (0.5 mL carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) 1 % in water), group 2 received α-ALA (α-ALA; 100 mg/kg), group 3 received diclofenac sodium (25 mg/kg), group 4 received diclofenac sodium (25 mg/kg) + α-ALA (100 mg/kg), group 5 received Nimesulide (25 mg/kg), group 6 received Nimesulide (25 mg/kg) + α-ALA (100 mg/kg), group 7 received Celecoxib (25 mg/kg), and group 8 received Celecoxib + α-ALA (25+100 mg/kg) all in 0.5 mL 1 % CMC. The anti-inflammatory effect was assessed using carrageenan and formalin models to measure mouse paw edema, while the analgesic effect was assessed using acetic acid-induced writhing and hot plate tests.

Results: Co-administration of α-ALA with diclofenac significantly inhibited paw oedema compared to NSAID alone in the carrageenan and formalin models (p < 0.001). Furthermore, co-administration of α-ALA with diclofenac significantly reduced writhes, enhanced anti-nociceptive activity, and prolonged latency time compared to NSAID alone (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Combination of alpha-lipoic acid (α-ALA) with NSAIDS (diclofenac) significantly reduced paw oedema and prolonged latency time compared to NSAIDs alone

Keywords: Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic effect, Alpha-lipoic acid, NSAIDs, Synergism

Impact Factor
Thompson Reuters (ISI): 0.6 (2023)
H-5 index (Google Scholar): 49 (2023)