title: Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic activities of the ethanol extract from Desmodium caudatum.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In folk medicine in China, Desmodium caudatum (Thunb.) DC (Leguminosae) has been used to treat febrile diseases, rheumatic arthritis, and bacillary dysentery; nevertheless, there have been no reports on the analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory effects of this plant in animals.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic activities of D. caudatum extract (DCE) in animals.
  
  
  METHODS
  The analgesic effect of DCE was measured in mice using the acetic acid-induced writhing test and the hot-plate test. The anti-inflammatory activity was assessed using the carrageenan-induced rat paw edema model and the dimethylbenzene-induced mouse inflammation model. The antipyretic effect was estimated using the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced rat fever model. In addition, the acute oral toxicity of DCE was studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DCE significantly and dose-dependently inhibited the writhing responses in mice, increased reaction time in mice in the hot-plate test, reduced carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats and the dimethylbenzene-induced ear edema in mice, and attenuated LPS-induced fever in rats. Furthermore, no death was observed when mice were orally administered DCE up to 40 g/kg.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DCE possesses evident analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic activities, and has a favorable safety, which supports the use of D. caudatum as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic drug in folk medicine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, PR China.
authors.forename: Ke-Jia
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Zhan-Zhou
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Cheng-Hao
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lu-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Qin
mesh_terms: D000698:Analgesia; D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D058633:Antipyretics / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D002681:China; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology; D004487:Edema / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy; D007887:Fabaceae; D005334:Fever / Q000188:drug therapy; D007249:Inflammation / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D010944:Plants; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D058633:Antipyretics; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D010936:Plant Extracts