AANA journal
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Ellagic acid (EA), a dietary supplement, is purported to have anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive properties via cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition. We measured the antinociceptive efficacy of EA alone and in combination with a nonselective COX inhibitor and a selective COX-2 inhibitor. We assigned 54 male Sprague-Dawley rats to 1 of 6 groups to be given the following compounds: (1) vehicle, (2) ketorolac (nonselective COX inhibitor), (3) meloxicam (selective COX-2 inhibitor), (4) EA, (5) EA plus ketorolac, and (6) EA plus meloxicam. ⋯ The analysis of variance suggested a significant difference (F = 2.44; P = .048). The least significant difference post hoc analysis suggested that at 8 hours, EA plus ketorolac provided greater antinociception than all other compounds (P = .04). Furthermore the combination of EA plus ketorolac provided longer antinociception than all other compounds (P = .03) such that EA plus ketorolac was effective at 24 hours.