Pharmacological effects of ethanol extract of Egyptian Artemisia herba-alba in rats and mice

Objective:To investigate some pharmacological effects including gastroprotective,antiinflammatory,analgesic,antipyretic and in vitro antioxidant effects of Artemisia herbaalba extract in different experimental models.Methods:Inflammation was induced in rat paw by subcutaneous injection of 1%(v/v)carrageenan solution.Writhes was induced in mice by intraperitoneal injection of 0.6%(v/v) acetic acid solution.Pyrexia was induced using Brewer’s yeast suspension.Gastric lesion was induced in rats by oral administration of 99% ethanol.The anti-inflammatory,analgesic,antipyretic and gastroprotective activities of Artemisia herba-alba extract were investigated respectively.In vitro antioxidant effect was investigated using DPPH free radical.Results:The plant extract showed anti-inflammatory effect in carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats,analgesic effect against acetic acid-induced writhing,and antipyretic activity in Brewer’s yeast model of pyrexia.Besides,it was shown to be a gastroprotective agent against ethanol-induced gastric ulcers.The plant also exhibited a free radical scavenging potential in an in vitro antioxidant study using DPPH.Conclusions:The results validate the use of the investigated plant in traditional medicine for different ailments.