Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of an Extract and Flavonoids from Artemisia Herba-Alba and Their Mechanisms of Action

Abstract

Artemisia herba-alba (A. h.-a.) has wide use in traditional medicine for the relief of coughing, healing external wounds, and treatment of pain associated with gastrointestinal disturbances. We investigated in vivo antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of an aqueous extract (aq. ex.) and two isolated compounds obtained from aerial parts of A. h.-a. The analgesic effects of aq. ex. (10, 31.6, 100, 316, and 1000 mg/kg), astragalin, and eupatilin (both, 0.316, 1, 3.16, 10, 31.6, and 100 mg/kg) were studied using the hot-plate test in mice and formalin test in rats. The effects were compared with those of 5 mg/kg morphine. Dosedependent analgesic effects of aq. ex., astragalin, and eupatilin were clearly manifested in both hot-plate assay and early and late phases of formalin-induced paw licking. These effects were significantly but partly reduced by the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone (5 mg/kg). The same range of doses of aq. ex., astragalin, and eupatilin caused dose-dependent suppression of carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. Thus, we demonstrated that A. h.-a. possesses noticeable antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities; our data support the reasons for using this plant as a remedy for treatment of pain and inflammation. Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory actions of A. h.-a. are considerably related to the presence of astragalin and eupatilin.

A mechanistic approach to anti-nociceptive potential of Artemisia macrocephala Jacquem

“…Scientifically, many of its plants had been reported to possess anti-inflammatory, insecticidal, analgesic, antispasmodic, antifungal, antibacterial and photo protective [ 9 ], while some of its species are used during labor pain [ 10 ]. On scientific basis, Artemisia herba alba had been proved to have clear antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects [ 11 ], Artemisia copa presents antinociceptive and topical anti-inflammatory [ 12 ], Artemisia absinthium possesses topical analgesic [ 13 ] and Artemisia dracunculus has significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects [ 14 ]. Different classes of chemicals, e.g., coumarins, terpenes, sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, aromatics, dipeptides, phenolics, coumarins, esterols, germacranolides, guaianolides, secoguaianolides and polysaccharides have been isolated from Artemisia species [ 15 ].…”

Methanol Extract of Dicranopteris linearis Leaves Attenuate Pain via the Modulation of Opioid/NO-Mediated Pathway

“…As part of an attempt to establish the antinociceptive potential of D. linearis and to promote the use of medicinal plants as pain-relieving agent, MEDL was also subjected to phytoconstituents analyses using the UHPLC-ESI-HRMS and GC-MS methods to determine the presence of polyphenolics or any volatile bioactive compounds with potential antinociceptive activity, respectively. The UHPLC-ESI-HRMS analysis of MEDL leads to identification of approximately 30 polyphenolic compounds of which several of them, such as gallic acid [60,61], ferulic acid [62], protocatechuic acid [63], caffeic acid [64,65], p-coumaric acid [66], rutin [67,68], isoquercitrin [69], astragalin [70], catechin [71], quercetin [72,73], apigenin [74] and kaempferol [75], have been reported to show antinociceptive activity. These reports also revealed that: (i) gallic acid was reported to show low antinociceptive activity against the acetic acid-induced nociception [60] while its derivative (gallic acid ethyl ester) was reported to attenuate bradykininand formalin-induced nociception [61].…”

“…These reports also revealed that: (i) gallic acid was reported to show low antinociceptive activity against the acetic acid-induced nociception [60] while its derivative (gallic acid ethyl ester) was reported to attenuate bradykininand formalin-induced nociception [61]. In addition, gallic acid ethyl ester was ineffective in the hot-plate test and demonstrated partly the opioid/NO-independent action; (ii) ferulic acid exerts an opioid-mediated antinociceptive activity when assessed using the hot plate test [62]; (iii) protocatechuic acid also exerts an opioid-mediated antinociceptive activity when assessed using the hot plate test [63]; (iv) caffeic acid demonstrated the antinociceptive activity against the abdominal constriction test and the late phase of the formalin-induced nociception, but not the hot plate test [64] whereas the dodecyl ester derivative of caffeic acid were reported to produce antinociceptive activity against the abdominal constriction test as well as the formalin-, capsaicin-and glutamate-induced nociceptive model [65]; (v) rutin exerts antinociceptive activity when assessed using the abdominal constriction test and the formalin-induced nociception, respectively [66,67] with Hernandez-Leon et al [67] also showed that rutin produces an opioid-mediated antinociceptive activity only in the late phase of the formalin-induced test; (vi) isoquercitrin exhibits antinociceptive activity against the abdominal constriction and formalin tests [68]; (vii) astragalin demonstrates an opioid-mediated antinociceptive activity when assessed using the hot plate test and the formalin-induced nociception [69]; (viii) catechin produces antinociceptive activity against the abdominal constriction, hot plate and formalin-induced paw licking tests with an opioid-independent activity shown using the hot plate test [70]; (ix) quercetin was earlier reported to show an opioid-mediated antinociceptive activity when assessed using the hot plate test [71] while later study demonstrates that quercetin produces antinociceptive activity against the abdominal constriction test, as well as the formalin-, capsaicin-and glutamate-induced nociceptive tests that involves an interaction with l-arginine/NO pathway [72]; (x) apigenin was found to show antinociceptive activity against the abdominal constriction, hot plate and formalin-induced paw licking tests with the centrally-mediated opioid activity proven using the hot plate test [73]; and (xi) kaempferol derivatives (i.e., kaempferol 3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol 3-O-glucoside and kaempferol-3,7-di-O-α-l-rhamnopyranoside) was reported to exert antinociceptive activity against the abdominal constriction and formalin-induced paw licking tests [74,75]. In addition, Ali et al [75] also...…”

Antinociceptive and Antiinflammatory Activities of Anastatica hierochuntica and Possible Mechanism of Action

“…This test was carried out according to the method reported by Qnais et al [20] The test was performed using groups of male mice 6 per each group. The temperature of the hot-plate (model 7406, LE, Letica Scientific Instruments, Panlab SL, Spain) was maintained at 50±1°.…”