Analgesic Properties of Methanolic Extract of Matricaria recutita in Rats in both Acute and Chronic Pains

Matricaria recutita is an important medicinal plant belonging to the family of Asteraceae. It is a well recognized plant in the traditional medicine and is used by people in rural areas. This study is aimed to evaluate the anti-pain effects of methanolic extract of Matricaria recutita. The experiments were performed on 40 male wistar rats weighting 190 to 200 g, which were divided into 5 groups, each consisting of 8 rats. To evaluate the analgesic effects, the formalin induced pain-test was used. All animals were pre-treated with an oral dose of extracts (100, 200, 300 mg/kg). The control group received no drug and the witness group at only received distilled water. Results of this study showed that methanolic extract of Matricaria recutita can significantly reduce the pain depending on the dose in acute phase. However, in chronic phase, the high dose of the extract could reduce the pain. It seems that flavonoids can probably reduce intracellular calcium through inhibiting of NMDA receptors. It also reduces activities of nitric oxide synthase enzyme and calcium dependent phospholipids A2, which results in antinociceptive effects.