ABSTRACT
The exact mechanisms of morphine dependence and withdrawal syndrome remain unclear. Many studies have been performed to find agents with minimal dependency side effects for prevention of withdrawal symptoms. Cinnamomum is a herbal medicine that has been used for respiratory disorders, digestive problems, arthritis, dysmenorrhea, and sore throat. Cinnamomum has been used as an alternative traditional treatment for sedative agents in China and India. This study aimed at investigating the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of cinnamomum on morphine withdrawal symptoms in the male rats. Adult mal Wistar rats weighting 225 -275 g were randomly selected and divided into 5 groups [8 rats per group]. In order to induce dependency, additive doses of morphine were injected subcutaneously for 13 days. On the day 13, 30 minutes after the last dose of morphine, control group received saline ip [1 ml/kg: control] and 3 treatment groups received hydroalcoholic extracts of Cinnamomum [50, 100, 200 mg/kg respectively] intraperitoneally. Thirty minutes later,all groups received naloxone injection [4 mg/kg, ip] and withdrawal symptoms including: jumping, rearing, genital grooming, abdominal writhing, and wet dog shake were recorded for 60 minutes. Our results showed that hydroalcoholic extract of Cinnamomum at doses of 50, 100and 200 mg/kg decreased genital grooming. In addition,all doses of the extract of Cinnamomum decreased the total withdrawal scores signficantly. Hydroalcoholic extract of Cinnamomum was effective in reducing the symptoms of morphine withdrawal