title: Antinociceptive effectiveness of triterpenes from rosemary in visceral nociception.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rosemary is a species used worldwide as a common spice, but also in folk medicine for their therapeutic properties against abdominal pain. The rationale of this study was to examine the involvement of triterpenes and to compare their effectiveness in the antinociceptive effect of an ethanol extract of Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Lamiaceae).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fractionation and HPLC analyses allowed the identification of a mixture of micromeric (121 mg/g), oleanolic (64 mg/g) and ursolic (83 mg/g) acids as partial antinociceptive responsible in an ethyl acetate fraction of R. officinalis by using the acetic acid-induced abdominal constrictions model in mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These triterpenes individually evaluated produced a significant and dose-dependent antinociceptive response with similar potency as follows: ED₅₀=1.1 mg/kg (0.9-1.3 mg/kg), 2.1 mg/kg (1.6-2.6 mg/kg) and 1.6 mg/kg (1.1-2.1 mg/kg), respectively, by using the intraperitoneal (i.p.) route of administration in mice. Their maximal antinociceptive efficacy resembled that produced by ketorolac (10 mg/kg, i.p.), a common clinic analgesic.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results provide evidence that these triterpenes participate in the antinociceptive activity of R. officinalis. In addition, each individual triterpene showed a similar potency to that observed with ketorolac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, in this experimental model.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Neurofarmacología de Productos Naturales. Dirección de Investigaciones en Neurociencias, Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría "Ramón de la Fuente Muñíz", Av. México-Xochimilco No. 101, Col. San Lorenzo, Huipulco, 14370 México, D.F., México.
authors.forename: Ana Laura
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: María Eva
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: González-Trujano
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chávez
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pellicer
mesh_terms: D015746:Abdominal Pain / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D019342:Acetic Acid; D000700:Analgesics / Q000032:analysis / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000818:Animals; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D059225:Nociception / Q000187:drug effects; D008517:Phytotherapy; D035261:Plant Components, Aerial / Q000737:chemistry; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000032:analysis / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D027542:Rosmarinus; D014315:Triterpenes / Q000032:analysis / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000700:Analgesics; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014315:Triterpenes; D019342:Acetic Acid