J Ethnopharmacol. 2002 May; 80(2-3): 181-6.

Anti-inflammatory, analgesic activity and acute toxicity of Glaucium grandiflorum extract.

Morteza-Semnani K, Saeedi M, Hamidian M, Vafamehr H, Dehpour AR.

Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, 48175-861, Iran. semnani_k@yahoo.co.uk

The species of Glaucium have been used in Iranian herbal medicine as laxative, hypnotic, antidiabetic agents and also in the treatment of dermatitis. The anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of the aerial parts of Glaucium grandiflorum Boiss & Huet (Papaveraceae), a native plant of Iran, were studied using carrageenan induced edema, formalin and hot plate tests. The G. grandiflorum extract at the dose of 200 mg/kg had more edema inhibition than indomethacin at the doses of 10 (P<0.01) and 8 mg/kg (P<0.001) in the carrageenan test. The ED(50) (i.p.) in the edema induced by carrageenan was 13.59 mg/kg. In formalin test, the extract (60-90 mg/kg, i.p.) caused graded inhibition of both phases of formalin-induced pain. In hot plate test, the i.p. administration of the extract at the doses of 60, 70, 80 and 90 mg/kg significantly raised the pain threshold at a observation time of 45 min in comparison with control (P<0.001). The extract, at the antinociceptive doses, did not affect motor coordination of animals when assessed in the rotarod model. The 72 h acute LD(50) value of this extract after i.p. administration in mice was 797.94 mg/kg.