Background:

Salvia purpurea Cav., commonly known as “salvia moradita”, is a medicinal plant used in Oaxaca, Veracruz and Chiapas for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antidiarrheic properties. However, there is no scientific evidence supporting its pain alleviating potential.

Hypothesis:

Terpenes and phenolic compounds are responsible for the antinociceptive activity of S. purpurea extracts.

Studied specimen:

Salvia purpurea Cav. (Lamiaceae)

Place of study and year:

Salvia purpurea was collected in Santiago Huauclilla, Oaxaca, in October 2017.

Methods:

The acute toxicity (Lethal dose fifty, LD50) of the acetone, methanol and aqueous S. purpurea extracts was determined following the OECD protocol No. 423. The extracts were administered by gavage (p.o.) at doses ranging from 3 to 300 mg/kg to evaluate antinociceptive effects using the writhing and formalin tests in mice. HPLC analysis was performed to identify the nature of the metabolites present in the active extracts in comparison with their respective standards.

Results:

Acute toxicity was calculated to be LD50 > 2000 mg/kg, p.o. The antinociceptive effects for each extract were significant in all the tested doses and in a non-dependent dose manner in both tests. Phytochemical analysis allowed to identify compound of terpenic and phenolic nature.

Conclusions:

The results of the present study reinforce the analgesic and anti-inflammatory use of S. purpurea in Traditional Mexican Medicine where terpenes and phenolic compounds participate in these activities.