Journal of Ethnopharmacology 112 (2007) 394–400 In vivo anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity of the crude extract and fractions from Rosa canina L. fruits Didem Deliorman Orhan a,∗ , Ali Hartevio˘ glu a , Esra K ¨ upeli a , Erdem Yesilada b a Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Gazi University, Etiler 6330, Ankara, Turkey b Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Yeditepe University, Kayı¸ sda˘ gı, ˙ Istanbul, Turkey Received 5 December 2006; received in revised form 1 February 2007; accepted 26 March 2007 Available online 30 March 2007 Abstract The aqueous and ethanol extracts of Rosa canina L. (Rosaceae) fruits and the fractions prepared from the latter were investigated for their anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities in several in vivo experimental models. The ethanolic extract was shown to possess significant inhibitory activity against inflammatory models (i.e., carrageenan-induced and PGE 1 -induced hind paw edema models, as well as on acetic acid- induced increase in a capillary permeability model) and on a pain model based on the inhibition of p-benzoquinone-induced writhing in mice. Hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, n-butanol and the remaining water fractions were obtained through bioassay-guided fractionation. Ethylacetate and n-butanol fractions displayed potent anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities at a dose of 919mg/kg without inducing acute toxicity. Further attempts to isolate and define the active constituent(s) were inconclusive, possibly due to the synergistic interaction of components in the extract. © 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Anti-inflammatory activity; Antinociceptive activity; PGE 1 -induced hind paw edema; Rosa canina; Rosaceae; TPA-induced mouse ear edema 1. Introduction In the German Commission E Monographs, fruits (rose-hips, with seeds) of Rosa canina L. (Rosaceae), the dog rose, are stated to possess prophylactic and therapeutic activities against a wide range of ailments, including the inflammatory disorders arthri- tis, rheumatism, gout, and sciatica, for diseases with fever; for colds and infectious diseases including influenza, against gastro- intestinal disorders, to aid digestion, prevention of inflammation of the gastric mucosa and gastric ulcer, for gallstones, biliary complaints, as a laxative, for disorders of the kidney and the lower urinary tract, as a diuretic, for dropsy and as an astringent (Blumenthal et al., 1998). The plant has a widespread distribution in Turkey and was reported as the most commonly utilized remedy following Plan- tago species in Turkish folk medicine (Yesilada, 2002). In addi- tion to the effects of fruits against the disorders described above, Abbreviations: AcOH, acetic acid; ASA, acetyl salicylic acid; CMC, car- boxymethyl cellulose; LT, leukotrienes; TLC, thin layer chromatography; TPA, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate; PGE 1 , prostaglandin E 1 ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 312 202 3173; fax: +90 312 223 50 18. E-mail address: didem@gazi.edu.tr (D. Deliorman Orhan). the fruit is known as the most effective remedy against hemor- rhoids and diabetes mellitus in Turkish folk medicine. Besides, the roots and leaves of the plant have also been used against bronchitis (Tabata et al., 1994; Fujita et al., 1995; Yesilada et al., 1995, 1999; Honda et al., 1996; Sezik et al., 1997, 2001). Previously, the anti-inflammatory activity of rose-hip was evaluated as the subject of two studies in vitro (Kharazmi and Winther, 1999; Larsen et al., 2003). In addition, clinical studies were conducted to investigate the effects on the symptoms of osteoarthritis (Winther et al., 1999; Warholm et al., 2003; Rein et al., 2004; Winther et al., 2005). The present study was designed to evaluate the anti- inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of rose-hip extracts by using in vivo experimental models in mice and identification of the active constituent(s) through bioassay-guided fractionation procedures. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Plant material Fruits of the plant were collected from Beytepe Campus area of Hacettepe University, Ankara in September 2004 and dried 0378-8741/$ – see front matter © 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.03.029