Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory, Analgesic, and Antipyretic Effects of Urospermum dalechampii (L.) Scop. ex F.W.Schmidt

Objective: In the present work, we aim to investigate the acute toxicity and to evaluate the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic activities of the methanol extract (UDME) of Urospermum dalechampii (L.) Scop. ex F.W.Schmidt. Methods: Total phenolics, total flavonoids, and condensed tannins content were estimated by colorimetric methods. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by various antioxidant assays including DPPH free radical scavenging, β-carotene bleaching test, and metal chelating ability. The acute oral toxicity study was conducted where the limit test dose of 2000 mg/kg body weight was used. The analgesic activity was estimated peripherally using the writhing test and the anti-inflammatory activity was established with the carrageenan-induced pleurisy model. Moreover, the antipyretic activity was estimated using brewer's yeast-induced hyperthermia assay in rats. Results: Total phenolic content determination showed that UDME is rich in phenolic compounds and it exhibited a good antioxidant activity. A single dose of the extract did not cause any signs of acute toxicity in rats. Significant antinociceptive effect (68.4 and 80.6%) was found in the writhing test at the doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg, p.o. respectively. Also, both doses significantly decreased the neutrophil migration to the pleural cavity. Furthermore, no antipyretic activity was observed. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the aerial parts of Urospermum dalechampii exhibited potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic activities which proved the use of this species in folk medicine.