Launaea resedifolia (L.) Kuntze (family: Asteraceae), synonym Scorzonera resedifolia L., is a medicinal plant used in the Libyan folkloric medicine mainly for the treatment of hepatic pains. However, there is no report on any pharmacological evaluation of L. resedifolia available to date. In this study, the neuropharmacological potential of the ethanol extract of this plant has been assessed in animal models. Launaea resedifolia extracts exhibited an inhibitory effect on the locomotor activity of mice in the open field test, an anti-nociceptive effect by increasing the hot plate reaction time in the hot plate test, and an anti-inflammatory activity in the carrageenan-induced paw oedema. Furthermore, a sedative effect was evident from the decrease in the onset of pentobarbitone sleeping time and increase in the duration of pentobarbitone sleeping time rats. The ethanol extract also demonstrated a significant decrease in the mortality rate induced by picrotoxin by about 66%, and a considerable reduction in the body weight of mice compared to the control groups.
Launaea resedifolia; Asteraceae; neuropharmacological property
