The analgesic effects of anti-inflammatory drugs from the point of view of different pharmacological test methods

1. The forms of irritation causing inflammation and pain are reviewed, with reference to the significance of histamine, serotonin and bradykinin and in particular to the interrelationship between inflammation and pain. 2. The various types of experimental pain are reviewed and mention is made of the human and animal analgesia test methods derived from them. 3. More detailed descriptions are given of the analgesia test methods used by us, namely: a) Silver nitrate gonarthritis-pain, rat, in which both strong and weak analgesics with an anti-inflammatory action are effective. b) Phenylquinone-induced abdominal pain, mouse, in which all the analgesics and anti inflammatory agents mentioned in this article are effective in a greater or lesser degree. c) Tail-flick and hot-plate tests, mouse, in which the strong analgesics, the weaker analgesics and the anti-inflammatory agents, with the exception of the salicylates, are effective. d) Dental-pain test, guinea pig, which can be used to demonstrate the activity of the various analgesics, including the salicylates and also colchicine, which is not active in any other test. e) Pressure-pain, mouse, in which only the strong analgesics (narcotics) are effective. 4. The action of a large number of analgesics, anti-inflammatory agents and related drugs in the various analgesia-tests and in acute experimental inflammation is presented in tabular form. 5. It is concluded that the use of several pain and inflammation tests is essential for screening both analgesics for special indications (severe, mild pain, pain due to inflammation, etc.) and universal pain-killing drugs.