Antinociceptive effects of Stachys laxa

The Labiatae family (Lamiaceae) is one of the largest and most distinctive families of flowering plants, with about 200 genera and almost 4000 species worldwide. This family has an almost cosmopolitan distribution. Many stachys plants- a genus of this family- have been used as medicinal plants because of their broad spectrum biological activities. Some stachys have been used as remedy for painful or inflammatory conditions in folk medicine. Anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of some species of Stachys e.g. S. inflata, S. byzantina and S. Schtschegleevii have been reported. In this study, the antinociceptive properties of total methanolic extracts of the aerial parts of S. laxa was investigated by formalin test in mice. Intraperitoneal injection of the methanolic extract of S. laxa at the doses of 100, 200 & 400mg/kg, 15min before formalin test, significantly inhibited the chronic phase of formalin- induced pain. Intraperitoneal injection of opioid antagonist (naloxone) significantly reversed the analgesic effect of extract in chronic phases of formalin test. This results suggest that that analgesic activity of this plant may be partly mediated by opiate system.

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