Effect of Hydroalcoholic Leaf Extract of Ziziphora Tenuior L. on Pain in Male Rats

Background and objectives: ziziphora tenuior is one of the traditional medicinal herbs; the main active chemical composition of this herb is an ingredient named as pulegone which is known-well for its anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. considering the side effects of synthetic drugs, researchers’ attention has been attracted to the use of herbal medicines. the aim of the present study was to compare the anti-inflammatory effect of hydroalcoholic extract of ziziphora tenuior l. and dexamethasone in adult male rats. materials and methods: in this study, after inducing ear edema via xylol, the anti-inflammatory activity of hydroalcoholic extracts on vascular permeability in nmri rats was studied. sixty rats were divided into 6 groups of 10 as follows: control (no treatment), sham (receiving physiological saline), groups 3, 4, and 5 treated with ziziphora tenuior extracts which received doses of 20, 50 and 100 mg/kg, respectively, and groups 6 through 10 which received dexamethasone at a dose of 10 mg/kg. thereafter, the data were collected and analyzed using spss 17 statistical software and one-way anova test. results: the results of the present study showed that intraperitoneal injection of ziziphora tenuior extracts at doses of 50 and 100 mg/kg, results in a significant decrease in inflammation induced via xylol in male rats (p<0.05), that was similar to dexamethasone at a dose of 10 mg/kg. furthermore, the group receiving 100 mg/kg of ziziphora tenuior extract showed less inflammation as compared to the group receiving dexamethasone. however, no significant difference was seen. conclusion: ziziphora tenuior extract dose-dependently and significantly decreases inflammation of ear edema test induced via xylol. probably, the presence of flavonoids found in the herb causes its anti-inflammatory effects. however, more research is required to achieve the therapeutic effects of the herb.