Antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of Rhodiola rosea L. extract in rats.
Rhodiola rosea (golden root) is a unique phytoadaptagen with immunomodulatory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity.



The aim of this study was to evaluate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of the alcohol/water extract of Rhodiola rosea roots in rats.



Thirty male Wistar rats were used in the study. They were divided in 3 groups (n = 10), treated respectively with saline (controls), Rhodiola rosea extract 50 mg/kg bw and 100 mg/kg bw orally. The antinociceptive effect was evaluated using the hot-plate test, Randall-Sellito test and the formalin test. The hot-plate test evaluates the reaction time of rats which are dropped on a heated surface. The analgesy-meter test exerts a force increased at constant rate. In the formalin test we measured the total time spent in licking the injected paw during the early (0-10 min) and late phase (20-30 min) of test. To study anti-inflammatory effect the carrageenan-induced paw edema was used. The paw volume was measured plethysmometrically at 2, 3 and 4 hours.



In the hot-plate test Rhodiola rosea increased in both doses the latency reaction compared with that in the controls. In analgesy-meter test Rhodiola rosea in a dose of 50 mg/kg showed a significant increase of pressure reaction compared with the controls. In the formalin test Rhodiola rosea in a dose of 100 mg/kg significantly decreased the paw licking time during the first phase. In the plethysmometer test Rhodiola rosea extract significantly reduced carrageenan-induced paw edema when compared with the saline-induced edema.



The studied extract of Rhodiola rosea exhibited significant analgesic activity in all the pain models used--inhibition of thermal pain, mechanical hyperalgesia and formalin-induced pain behavior. Significant anti-inflammatory activity was observed from Rhodiola rosea extract in carrageenan induced paw edema in rats.
Department of Pharmacology and Drug Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy
Nina D
ND
Doncheva
Department of Pharmacology and Drug Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy
Anita St
AS
Mihaylova
Department of Pharmacology and Clinical Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Damianka P
DP
Getova
D000700:Analgesics / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D029771:Rhodiola
D000700:Analgesics; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts