ABSTRACT
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Hertia cheirifolia L. is used traditionally to treat rheumatic pains and known as a medicinal plant having several pharmaceutical and biological activities. The present study evaluated in vivo the anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective effects of the methanolic extract from H. cheirifolia L. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) was performed to identify various chemical components of the plant extract. Anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective activities were assessed on carrageenan-induced paw edema and HCl/ethanol-induced gastric lesions in rats, respectively. RESULTS: (RP-HPLC) analysis indicated that coumarin is the abundant component in the extract (53.80%). Intraperitoneal administration of the methanolic extract at different doses showed interesting activities in rats in a dose-dependent manner. At 100â¯mg/kg, this extract showed the highest acute anti-inflammatory activity and an important inhibition of gastric lesions with inhibition percentage of 79.41% and 88.53%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Altogether, the results of this study reveal the anti-inflammatory and gastroprotective effects of H. cheirifolia extract and promote the traditional use of this plant in the treatment of different pain and inflammatory diseases.
