Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities of the Ethanolic Extract of Artemisia morrisonensis Hayata in Mice.
The aim of this study was to investigate the possible analgesic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms of the ethanolic extract of A. morrisonensis Hayata (AM(EtOH)). Two models were employed for evaluation of the analgesic effects: acetic acid-induced writhing response and formalin-induced paw licking. The results demonstrated that AM(EtOH) decreased writhing response for both the acetic acid assay and the licking time in the formalin test. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated by paw edema of mice induced by λ-carrageenan. AM(EtOH) significantly decreased induced paw edema three to four hours after λ-carrageenan injection. Additionally, the results indicated that the anti-inflammatory mechanism of AM(EtOH) may be due to the declined levels of nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the edematous paw. Furthermore, AM(EtOH) decreased the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) levels, leading to the reduction of prostaglandins and subsequently alleviated edema. Isolation and purification of the AM(EtOH) extract determined p-hydroxyacetophenone to be a major component at 130 mg/g of extract. No mortality was observed in the acute toxicity test given at the dose of 10 g/kg. This study demonstrated the possible mechanisms for the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of AM(EtOH) for mice and provided evidence for the ethnobotanical uses of A. morrisonensis in treating inflammatory diseases.
Graduate Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Life Sciences, China Medical University, No. 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, Taichung 40402, Taiwan.
Shen-Chieh
SC
Chou
Yung-Jia
YJ
Chiu
Chao-Jung
CJ
Chen
Ying-Chih
YC
Lin
Chung-Hao
CH
Wu
Chien-Ti
CT
Chao
Ching-Wen
CW
Chang
Wen-Huang
WH
Peng