Effect of a traditional herbal formulation (Azaraghi Majoon) on opium use disorder in male rats

Opium Use Disorder (OUD) has the highest rate of opioid use disorder in Iran. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of Azaraghi Majoon (AM), a traditional Persian compound, on a rat model of OUD. AM was prepared from a combination of 14 herbs plus honey, standardized by strychnine and brucine using high-performance liquid chromatography, and administered by gavage. One hundred twenty male mice were used to investigate the effect of AM on the manifestations of opium withdrawal syndrome and craving for opium. Naloxone-precipitated withdrawal signs and conditioned place preference (CPP) test were used to assess the scopes mentioned above of OUD, respectively. A modified schedule of opium dependence was used to assess physical dependence (last for eight days). 50 mg/ml/kg intraperitoneal opium and 50, 100, or 150 mg/ml/kg gavaged AM in different groups were administered in the CPP paradigm. In the CPP test, treating opium-addicted animals with AM (50 and 150 mg/kg for time and 50, 100, and 150 mg/kg for frequency) resulted in the extinction of preference for drug compartments. Also, the administration of AM decreased the number of jumping, diarrhea, rearing, and grooming following naloxone-precipitated opium withdrawal signs. As AM could improve both physical and psychological withdrawal signs of opium use disorder in rats in this study, the authors suggest consideration of clinical trials to investigate possible beneficial effects of AM in OUD patients.