Antinociceptive activity of some Scorzonera L. species

Aim: Scorzonera species are mainly used to relieve pain in Turkish traditional medicine. The roots of Scorzonera latifolia(Fisch. Mey) DC., S. tomentosa L., S. suberosa C.Koch subsp. suberosa, and S. mollis M.Bieb. subsp. szowitzii collected from different regions of Anatolia, and yakı sakızı, which is prepared by drying the latex obtained from the roots of Scorzonera latifolia, were evaluated for their antinociceptive activities. Materials and methods: For antinociceptive evaluation, Scorzonera latifolia (Fisch. Mey) DC., S. tomentosa L., S.suberosa C. Koch subsp. suberosa, S. mollis M.Bieb. subsp. szowitzii, and yakı sakızı were tested on mice, and acetic acidinducedwrithing and tail-flick tests were used. Results: Extracts prepared from the roots of Scorzonera latifolia, S. tomentosa, S. suberosa subsp. suberosa, S. mollissubsp. szowitzii, and yakı sakızı showed significant inhibitory effects in an acetic acid-induced abdominal stretching testat a dose of 100 mg/kg. The extracts of S. latifolia and S. tomentosa produced higher inhibition in abdominal constrictionnumbers when compared to other extracts. However, a remarkable increase in tail-fl ick latency time was observed only with S. latifolia treatment at doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg at all of the time points and at a dose of 100 mg/kg dose at 150 min.S. mollis, S. tomentosa, and yakı sakızı exhibited only moderate activity, while S. suberosa did not show any remarkableactivity in the tail-fl ick test. Conclusion: The current study confirms the analgesic activity of S. latifolia in Turkish folk medicine. Furthermore, experimental results revealed that methanol-water extracts from the roots of Scorzonera latifolia had better antinociceptive activity compared to the other extracts and control groups.