Assessment of anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of Olea europaea L.

Abstract

Leaves and fruits of Olea europaea L. (Family Oleaceae) are used for the treatment of various kinds of diseases, i.e., rheumatism and hemorrhoids, and as a vasodilator in vascular disorders for ages in folk medicine. In order to evaluate this information, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of the ethanolic and n-hexane extracts prepared from the fruits of O. europaea were investigated. For the anti-inflammatory activity, the carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and acetic acid-induced increased capillary permeability models were used, whereas for the antinociceptive activity, the p-benzoquinone-induced writhing and hot plate tests in mice were used. The results revealed that the ethanolic extract did not show a significant anti-inflammatory or analgesic activity, whereas the n-hexane extract displayed 12.7-27.8% inhibition on the carrageenan-induced hind paw edema model at the 400 mg/kg dose, without inducing any apparent acute toxicity as well as gastric damage. Further studies are warranted to define and isolate the active anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive components from this plant, which may yield safe and effective agents to be used in the treatment of inflammatory disorders.