title: Antihypoxic activities of Eryngium caucasicum and Urtica dioica.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Urtica dioica and Eryngium spp. have been used in traditional medicine for many years. In spite of many works, nothing is known about their protective effect against hypoxia-induced lethality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Protective effects of U. dioica (UD) aerial parts and E. caucasicum (EC) inflorescence against hypoxia-induced lethality in mice were evaluated by three experimental models of hypoxia, asphyctic, haemic and circulatory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant protective activities were established in some doses of extracts in three models. Antihypoxic activity was especially pronounced in polyphenol fractions in asphyctic model. EC polyphenol fraction at 400 mg/kg prolonged survival time (48.80 ± 4.86, p < 0.001) which was comparable with that of phenytoin (p > 0.05). It was the most effective extract in circulatory model, too. It prolonged survival time significantly respect to control group (p < 0.001). UD extracts protected the mice but the response was not dose-dependent. In haemic model, extracts of EP signiﬁcantly and dose dependently prolonged survival time as compared to control group (p < 0.001). At 600 mg/kg, EP was the most effective one, being capable of keeping the mice alive for 12.71 ± 0.75 min. Only the concentration of 300 mg/kg of UD was effective (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Extracts showed remarkable antihypoxic effects. Pharmacological effects may be attributed to the presence of polyphenols in the extracts.
authors.affiliation: Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, School of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran. zadeh20@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khalili
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dehdar
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hamedi
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ebrahimzadeh
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karami
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D031049:Eryngium / Q000737:chemistry*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D059808:Polyphenols; D026982:Urtica dioica / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D059808:Polyphenols