Hydro-alcoholic extract of Otostegia integrifolia Benth (Lamiacae) produces peripheral antinociception and central analgesia in mice models

Abstract

Objective Pain and inflammatory conditions are the commonest health problems reported to this date. The advent of numerous pharmacologic agents cannot still abated the demand due to the associated side effects, the search for satisfactory new molecule particularly from herbal sources is the main endeavor as experience shows. Thus, this study evaluated the analgesic activity of the 80% methanol leaf extract of Otostegia integrifolia in mice models of pain.Results Analgesic effect of various oral doses of the hydro-alcoholic extract (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) was determined in hot plate and acetic acid induced writhing methods. In all models, the higher doses of the extract (400mg/kg) exhibited significant central and peripheral analgesic activities without significant difference compared to the standard drugs morphine and aspirin respectively. However, the lowest dose of the extract lacks central analgesic activity. The experimental finding from this study corroborates perhaps the presence of similar constituents within the genus Otostegia that might be responsible for the analgesic effects observed on other species. Thus, Otostegia integrifolia could be potential source for development of new analgesics.