effect of rubia tinctorum l. extractson carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats

background: inflammation is a dynamic process that is elicited in response to various harmful stimulantsthat may threaten the well-being of the host. herbs have been traditionally used as anti-inflammatory agents since very early times. rubia tinctorum l. is one of these herbs that havebeen used for treating inflammatory diseases in iranian traditional medicine. objective: this study aims at considering anti-inflammatory effects of r. tinctorum and comparing its extracts in this property. methods: the root of rubia tinctorum (rubiaceae) was collected from yazd province, in the center of iran. the root extracts of plant were studied for their anti-inflammatory activity by using carrageenan-induced hind paw edema in wistarmale rats. indomethacin and normal saline were used as positive and negative controls, respectively. different concentrations of aqueous, ethanolic, and 50% aq. ethanolic extracts (600, 800, 1000 mg/kg) were given orally before carrageenan injection. the paw thickness was measured at 1, 3 and 5 hours after injection. results: both, aqueous and 50% eq. ethanolic extracts reduced paw edema at 600 and 800 mg/kg concentrations. moreover, ethanolic extract showed significant effect only in1sthour after carrageenan injection. conclusion: the results indicated that the aqueous extract were exhibited higher anti-inflammatory effect compared with other extracts. accordingly, the potent anti-inflammatory effect of the root extracts is attributed to the polar compounds which are extracted in the water.