ANALGESIC AND ANTIINFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES OF JUSTICIA-PECTORALIS JACQAND ITS MAIN CONSTITUENTS - COUMARIN AND UMBELLIFERONE

The hydroalcohol extract of J. pectoralis (EHA) and its main constitue nts, coumarin (CM) and umbelliferone (UMB), were studied for possible analgesic and antioedema activities on acetic acid induced writhing in mice and on the carrageenan end dextran paw oedema in rats. The EHA, CM and UMB demonstrated antinociceptive effects, and pretreatment with naloxone did not reverse the antinociception, indicating that the opi oid system is not involved. On the other hand, pretreatment with L-arg inine reversed the antinociception caused by UMB, suggesting the invol vement of the nitric oxide system. The EHA, CM and UMB presented a sig nificant antioedema effect in the carrageenan model but only CM decrea sed the rat paw volume in the dextran model, and this effect was not o bserved with EHA or UMB. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.