Antioxidant, Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Effects of Ethanolic Extract of Moroccan Lavandula stoechas L.

Abstract

Lavandula stoechas L. is a widely used medicinal plant. In Moroccan traditional medicine, it is employed for the treatment of different illness and as an anxiolytic, analgesic or anti-inflammatory remedy. The purpose of this investigation was to assess the antioxidant, antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of the ethanolic extract of Moroccan Lavandula stoechas L. in animal models. Therefore, in vitro anti-oxidant activity was appraised via two techniques, the 2,2-Diphenyl-1-Picryl-Hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method and reducing power approach. For the in vivo trials, the ethanolic extract of the herb was orally administered (0.5, 0.6 and 1 g/kg, p.o.). Furthermore, acetic acid induced-writhing, formalin induced-paw-licking, thermal hyperalgesia and tail-flick experiments were applied to examine the antalgic activity. The xylene induced ear-edema trial was achieved to estimate the anti-inflammatory activity. The results revealed an important anti-oxidant activity of our extract. Moreover, in the writhing-test, we observed that the concentrate inhibited abdominal contractions engendered by the acetic-acid in mice. In the hot-plate and the tail-flick tests, the extract caused a notable central analgesic reaction, the latency to the thermal stimuli intensified in a dose dependent way. Additionally, considering the formalin test, the pre-treatment with the extract reduced the licking-time in the first and late phase of the response. Lastly, the xylene induced ear-edema test demonstrated that the plant’s extract remarkably restrained the edema formation occasioned by the xylene, which was confirmed by histological verification. This study allowed us to conclude that Lavandula stoechas is an ultimate medicinal plant that possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities along with the central and peripheral anti nociceptive properties.