antioxidant, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the methanolic extract of piper betle leaves

objective:the present study was designed to evaluate the antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory activities ofthe methanolic extract of piper betle leaves (mpbl). materials and methods: mpbl was evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity using carrageenan-induced hind paw edema model. analgesic activity of mpbl was evaluated by hot plate, writhing, and formalin tests. total phenolic and flavonoids content, total antioxidant activity, scavenging of 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (dpph) radical, peroxynitrate (onoo-) as well as  inhibition of total ros generation, and assessment of reducing power were used to evaluate antioxidant potential of mpbl. results: the extract of mpbl, at the dose of 100 and 200 mg/kg, produced a significant (p<0.05) increase in pain threshold in hot plate method whereas significantly (p<0.05) reduced the writhing caused by acetic acid and the number of licks induced by formalin in a dose-dependent manner. the same ranges of doses of mpbl caused significant (p<0.05) inhibition of carrageenan-induced paw edema after 4 h in a dose-dependent manner.  in dpph, onoo-, and total ros scavenging method, mpbl showed good antioxidant potentiality with the ic50 value of 16.33±1.02, 25.16±0.61 , and 41.72±0.48 µg/ml, respectively with a significant (p<0.05) good reducing power.   conclusion: the findings of the study suggested that mpblhas strong analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects, conforming the traditional use of this plant for inflammatory pain alleviation to its antioxidant potentiality.