Hecogenin acetate is a steroid sapogenin and an acetylated form of hecogenin that has anthelmintic and antinociceptive properties. It reduces the percentage of mobile larvae in goat fecal cultures containing Haemonchus, Oesophagostomum, and Trichostrongylus nematodes (EC50 = 0.49 mg/ml). Hecogenin acetate (5, 10, or 20 mg/kg, i.p.) inhibits development of mechanical hyperalgesia induced by carrageenan, TNF-α, dopamine , and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2; ) in mice. It also increases latency to tail withdrawal in the tail flick test and has no effect on motor performance in the rotarod test in mice when administered at a dose of 40 mg/kg.
