antinociceptive effect of the endemic species nepeta depauperata benth

objectives this study was designed to evaluate the antinociceptive activity of methanol extract of n. depauperata in male mice. materials and methods the anti-nociceptive activities of the extract were investigated by the formalin test and hot plate test respectively. comparisons between the groups were carried out using one-way analysis of variance (anova), and post hoc tukey test. results n. depauperata extract showed anti-nociceptive effect. doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg reduced the paw flexing time in formalin test from the control (p < 0.05 in both phases). the doses of 25, 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg; 100 and 200 mg/kg reduced the paw licking time in first and second phases of the formalin test from the control, respectively (p < 0.05). the observed effect was not reversed by naloxone. in hot plate test, doses of 160 and 250 mg/kg significantly reduced the nociception in comparisons to control (p < 0.05). all doses of the studied extract also showed antinociceptive activity. conclusions this study revealed that the methanol extract of n.depauperata may minimize both the acute and chronic forms of nociception and may have potent role against inflammation. background nepeta depauperata benth is an endemic species and is extensively exploited as an anti-inflammatory agent in iranian traditional medicine.