Anti –Inflammatory Effect of Methanolic and Aqueous Extracts of Urtica pilulifera L. Seed in Rats

Wide range of acute and chronic inflammatory ailments, side effects of their available therapies and incomplete treatment of such patients push the researches to find new and more effective drugs. To reach this aim, in the current study, we evaluate Urtica pilulifera L. (family Urticaceae) as an introduced traditional herb for treatment of inflammation in Persian Medicine (PM). In an animal study, Anti-inflammatory effects of U. pilulifera were assessed in formalin-induced hind paw edema in rats. Sodium salicylate (300 mg/kg, i.p., SS) injection was used as a positive control drug and compared with methanolic extract of U. pilulifera (20 mg/kg; i.p.) (MUP), three different doses of aqueous extract of U. pilulifera (20, 40 and 80 mg/kg; i.p.) (AUP) and a group of distilled water (6 mL/kg; i.p.). As acute anti-inflammatory effect, AUP in doses 40 and 80 mg/kg decreased edema significantly (p<0.05). In chronic anti-inflammatory response, results indicated that all AUP doses had anti-inflammatory effects (p <0.05) with no significant difference with SS group. In conclusion, AUP had anti-inflammatory effects on both acute and chronic edema; while MUP was only effective in chronic inflammation.