Asafetida is well known for its medicinal and therapeutic values in Iranian folk medicine. This study was conducted to investigate the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effects of asafetida. In hot plate test, asafetida exhibited a significant antinociceptive effect at all administered doses and the most effective dose was 10 mg/kg. The highest maximum potent effect was observed 15 minutes after asafetida administration. The antinociceptive effect of asafetida was not reversed by administration of any antagonist used in this study but asafetida showed a remarkable antioxidant and also inhibitory action against lipoxygenase activity. Paw weight was significantly reduced only in treated animals with 2.5 mg/kg asafetida. Results clearly indicate that the asafetida could be a potential source of anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent. These effects may be due to its effective constituents such as monoterpenes, flavonoids and phenolic components that have antioxidant properties and inhibit lipoxygenase activity.

In Iranian traditional medicine, asafoetida is introduced as a valuable remedy for nervous disorders. Dementia was induced by injection of d-galactose and NaNO2 for 60 consecutive days. Animals were divided into normal control (NC), dementia control (DC), dementia prophylactic (DP), and dementia treated (DT). The learning and memory functions were examined by 1-way active and passive avoidance tests, using a shuttle box device. Avoidance response in training tests and 1 and 3 weeks later was significantly increased in NC, DP, and DT groups compared to the DC group. Step through latency in all groups was significantly greater than the DC group. Total time spent in light room, which shows the memory retention ability, in DP, NC, and DT was significantly greater than the DC group. Our findings indicate that asafoetida could prevent and treat amnesia. These beneficial effects maybe related to some constituent's effectiveness such as ferulic acid and umbelliferone.

The results of this study showed an inhibitory effect of Carum Copticum extract on acetylcholine induced contraction in rat's ileum.

Background:In Iranian traditional medicine, gum obtained from Astragalus gummifer and some other species of Astragalus was used as analgesic agent.Objective:In this study, we investigated the antinociceptive effect of several concentrations (125, 250, and 500 μg/kg body weight) of Astragalus gummifer gum (AGG) on thermal and acetic acid induced pain in mice.Materials and Methods:AGG was dissolved in distillated water and injected i.p to male mice 15 minute before the onset of experiment. Writhing and hot-plate tests were applied to study the analgesic effect of AGG and compared with that of diclofenac sodium (30 mg/kg, i.p.) or morphine (8 mg/kg, i.p). To investigate the mechanisms involved in antinociception, yohimbine, naloxone, glibenclamide, and theophylline were used in writhing test. These drugs were injected intraperitoneally 15 min before the administration of AGG. The number of writhes were counted in 30 minutes and analyzed.Results:AGG exhibited a significant antinociceptive effect and the most effective dose of AGG was 500 μg/kg. The most maximum possible effect (%MPE) was observed (117.4%) 15 min after drug administration. The %inhibition of acetic acid-induced writhing in AGG 125, 250 and 500 was 47%, 50% and 54% vs %15 of control and 66.3% of diclofenac sodium group. The antinociceptive effect induced by this gum in the writhing test was reversed by the systemic administration of yohimbine (α2-adrenergic antagonist), but naloxone, glibenclamide, and theophylline did not reverse this effect.Conclusions:The findings of this study indicated that AGG induced its antinociceptive through the adrenergic system.

Our previous study demonstrated that aqueous extract of Carum copticum reduced contraction activity of rat's ileum; this study was conducted to examine the effect of essential oil from C. copticum on acetylcholine induced contraction in isolated rat's ileum. In experimental procedures, the tissue samples were suspended from the transducer lever, mounted in the organ bath containing Tyrode's solution and isotonic responses were recorded by using an isotonic transducer and the amplitude of contractions induced by cumulative log concentrations of acetylcholine after exposing tissue by saline, different concentrations of essential oil or aqueous extract Our findings showed that essential oil derived from extract in concentrations more than 0.002% reduced acetylcholine -induced contractions. The relaxant effect observed in this study is probably due to the thymol which is the main constituent of the essential oil.