Anti-inflammatory and Analgesic Activities of Tunisian Apium graveolens L. Leaves Extracts in Rats

Abstract This study investigates the in vivo analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of various extracts prepared from Apium graveolens. This activity was evaluated with the acetic acid-induced writhing response method. The subcutaneous carrageenan injection induced hind paw edema. The treated animals received different doses of either aqueous or organic extracts, the reference group received ketoprofen or piroxicam and the control group received NaCl 0.9 %. The volume of the left and right legs was measured with a plethysmometer. A statistical analysis was performed by the Student t test. All extracts showed a significant reduction in the acetic acid-induced writhing test (63 %), compared with the reference group (53 %) (P<0.001). The aqueous extracts of A. graveolens showed a significant inhibition of edema (69 % – 73 %) (p <0.01). The methanol extract also induced a significant inhibition (70 %). These results were similar to those obtained with piroxicam (70 %) but higher than those obtained with k...