Romanian Biotechnological Letters Vol. , No. x, Copyright © 2017 University of Bucharest Printed in Romania. All rights reserved ORIGINAL PAPER Anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effect of Symphytum officinale root Received for publication, October 18, 2016 Accepted, November 21, 2017 OLIVIU VOSTINARU 1 , SIMONA CONEA *2 , CRISTINA MOGOSAN 1 , CLAUDIA CRINA TOMA 2 , CORINA CLAUDIA BORZA 2 , LAURIAN VLASE 3 1 Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Physiopathology, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 6A, L. Pasteur, 400012, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Vasile Goldis” Western University of Arad, 86 L. Rebreanu, 310048 Arad, Romania 3 Department of Pharmaceutical Technology and Biopharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Iuliu Hatieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 41 Victor Babes, RO-400012, Cluj- Napoca, Romania Address for correspondence to: suciu_simona@yahoo.com. Abstract The present work evaluated the anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activity of a Symphytum officinale root extract standardized in rosmarinic acid. The anti-inflammatory effect of the hydro-glycero- alcoholic extract administered orally was assessed by the carrageenan-induced rat paw oedema method while the antinociceptive effect was determined by the acetic acid induced writhing test in mice and by Randall Selitto test in rats. Content in rosmarinic acid quantified by a HPLC-MS method was 74.77 μg/mL. In the carrageenan- induced rat paw oedema method administration of S. officinale extract (500 mg/kg, orally) reduced significantly and dose-dependently oedema by 55.6% at 1h after inflammation was induced. In the writhing test, S. officinale extract (500 mg/kg, orally) inhibited by 45.25% the abdominal constrictions induced by acetic acid in mice. In the Randall Selitto test in rats, the oral administration of S. officinale extract (500 mg/kg, orally) demonstrated a strong peripheral antinociceptive effect in the first two hours after administration increasing the pain threshold by 58%. Our study demonstrated significant anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of S. officinale extract probably mediated by peripheral mechanisms which may justify the traditional use in the treatment of some inflammatory diseases. Keywords: Comfrey, polyphenols, oedema, pain. 1. Introduction Symphytum officinale (Boraginaceae family) (comfrey) is a well known remedy used in folk medicine as poultices for topic applications according to the wound healing effects, to reduce joint inflammation in rheumatic and arthritic diseases, in broken bones and tendon damages, and for internal use for curing ulcers. Previous experimental data reported a wide range of pharmacologic activities of various Symphytum extracts such as antifungal, anti- inflammatory, antioxidant, and vasoprotective effects (TALHOUK et al., 2007 [1]; NEAGU et al., 2011 [2]; GOKADZE et al., 2013 [3]). External preparations of S. officinale were widely available and folk medicine suggested that comfrey could be used to treat musculoskeletal disorders, wounds and various other conditions (FROST et al., 2013 [4]).