Review Article Medicinal Plants of the Family Lamiaceae in Pain Therapy: a Review
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Hindawi Pain Research and Management Volume 2018, Article ID 7801543, 44 pages https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/7801543 Review Article Medicinal Plants of the Family Lamiaceae in Pain Therapy: A Review Cristina M. Uritu,1 Cosmin T. Mihai,1 Gabriela-Dumitrita Stanciu,1 Gianina Dodi ,1 Teodora Alexa-Stratulat ,1 Andrei Luca ,1 Maria-Magdalena Leon-Constantin,1 Raluca Stefanescu,1 Veronica Bild,1 Silvia Melnic ,2 and Bogdan I. Tamba 1 1“Grigore T. Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 700115 Iasi, Romania 2Institute of Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of Moldova, MD-2028 Chisinau, Moldova Correspondence should be addressed to Silvia Melnic; [email protected] Received 29 December 2017; Revised 9 March 2018; Accepted 29 March 2018; Published 8 May 2018 Academic Editor: Gokhan Zengin Copyright © 2018 Cristina M. Uritu et al. +is is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Recently, numerous side effects of synthetic drugs have lead to using medicinal plants as a reliable source of new therapy. Pain is a global public health problem with a high impact on life quality and a huge economic implication, becoming one of the most important enemies in modern medicine. +e medicinal use of plants as analgesic or antinociceptive drugs in traditional therapy is estimated to be about 80% of the world population. +e Lamiaceae family, one of the most important herbal families, incorporates a wide variety of plants with biological and medical applications. In this study, the analgesic activity, possible active compounds of Lamiaceae genus, and also the possible mechanism of actions of these plants are presented. +e data highlighted in this review paper provide valuable scientific information for the specific implications of Lamiaceae plants in pain modulation that might be used for isolation of potentially active compounds from some of these medicinal plants in future and formulation of commercial therapeutic agents. 1. Introduction efficacy, less side effects, and lower costs and leading to an improved quality of life [8–11] should become one of the Pain comes in many forms: acute, chronic, visceral, in- primary objectives in modern medical research, together with flammatory, or neuropathic [1, 2]. It is not simply a result of constant monitoring [12] of the previous mentioned aspects. tissue damage but also reflects the influence of many psy- +e medicinal use of plants as analgesic drugs in folk chological variables such as attention, anxiety, stress [3], medicine is an ancient tradition, far older than the current suggestion, or previous experiences and may have a signif- sciences of medicine in developing countries [13, 14]. icant genetic contribution [4]. Pain accompanies most pa- According to estimations, up to 70,000 plant species are used thologies present in current medical practice, and 25% ethnomedicinally worldwide. Effects of herbal extracts have percent of Americans, for example, experience pain on been studied by different pain tests including writhing test, a daily basis. Having the numbers on its side, pain became light tail flick test, tail immersion test, hot-plate test, and a global public health problem and a leading cause of dis- formalin test [15]. ability all over the world [5]. +e exploration for new analgesic combinations from As life expectancy is rising and chronical pathologies the enormous arrays of medicinal plant resources is growing. along with it, the prevalence of accompanying pain is ex- +is is because such information holds guarantees for the pected to increase yearly, with higher prevalence in elderly finding of new therapeutic agents capable of inhibiting, patients, where the treatment is also more sensitive [6, 7]. decreasing, or relieving pain [16–28]. Plants characterize Considering the above, new therapeutic agents with increased a vast natural supply of appreciated compounds that might 2 Pain Research and Management achieve primary importance for the expansion of novel drugs 3.1.1. Rosmarinus officinalis. Rosmarinus officinalis L., [29]. +e survey of the effectiveness of plant-based remedies commonly called rosemary, is a Mediterranean shrubby used in the folk medicine has given great reflections because herb and widely spread in European, American, and Asian they are cheap and have reduced side effects. countries. It is a common spice used worldwide for culinary, According to the World Health Organization (WHO), medicinal, and commercial uses, including the fragrance and about 80% of the world population still relies mainly on plant- food industries [32]. +e leaves of rosemary (fresh or dries) based drugs [30], thus lowering at the same time the impact of are used for their characteristic aroma in cooking or con- self-medication side effects [6]. +e data in biomedical lit- sumed in small amounts as herbal tea, while rosemary ex- erature presenting plants with medicinal capabilities are very tracts are regularly used for their natural antioxidant active similar to the array of publications depicting the modulatory proprieties to improve the shelf life of perishable foods. effects certain ones have over pain perception. Recently, rosemary extracts (E392) have been approved as +e Lamiaceae family, one of the most important herbal a safe and effective natural antioxidant for food preservation families, incorporates a wide variety of plants with biological by the European Union [33]. and medical applications. +e most known members of this Phytochemical studies have revealed that leaves contain family are a variety of aromatic spices like thyme, mint, 0.5% to 2.5% volatile oil. +e major components of rosemary oregano, basil, sage, savory, rosemary, self-heal, hyssop, oil include monoterpene hydrocarbons (alpha and beta- lemon balm, and some others with more limited use [31]. pinene), camphene, limonene, camphor (10% to 20%), Our main objective was to perform a review of this borneol, cineole, linalool, and verbinol. Rosemary contains literature for the specific implications of Lamiaceae family a widespread variety of volatile and aromatic components. plants in pain modulation and thus aid the constant search Flavonoids in the plant consist of diosmetin, diosmin, for new potential agents of natural origin with analgesic genkwanin, luteolin, hispidulin, and apigenin [34–41]. effects. Additionally, terpenoid components from rosemary consist of the triterpenes oleanolic and ursolic acid and the diter- pene carnosol. Phenols in rosemary comprise caffeic, 2. Materials and Methods chlorogenic, labiatic, neochlorogenic, and rosmarinic acids. +e search strategy employed in this review includes in- Rosemary covers high amounts of salicylates [42–48]. ternationally accepted databases, namely, ScienceDirect, Modern pharmacological studies have indicated that rose- Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed, using specific key- mary and its constituents, especially caffeic acid derivatives such words of both whole plant products and plant extracts, pain, as rosmarinic acid, have various traditional uses in ethno- and analgesic and antinociceptive effects. For investigation, medicine including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anticarcino- a combination of keywords was used [pain; analgesic; genic, antirheumatic, spasmolytic, antihepatotoxic, atheroscl antinociceptive; plant extract] + [Betonica officinalis; Gle- erotic, carminative, and choleretic applications [44–54], pro- choma hederacea; Hyptis pectinata; Lavandula; Leonurus tection against UV and gamma radiation, and amelioration of cardiaca; Lamium; Melissa officinalis; Mentha; Marrubium stress [43]. vulgare; Origanum; Ocimum; Rosmarinus officinalis; Sal- +e powdered leaves are used as an effective natural flea via;Satureja hortensis; Stachys lavandulifolia; Scutellaria and tick repellent. Activity against certain bacteria including lateriflora; Sideritis; Teucrium; 3ymus; Ziziphora tenuior] + Staphylcoccus aureus, Staphylococcus albus, Vibrio cholerae, [Lamiaceae; botanical genus]. Case reports, case studies, in Escherichia coli, and Corynebacterium has been observed. vivo and in vitro relevant studies, and comparative studies One study found that rosemary oil is most active against were included in this search strategy. Additionally, text “meat spoiling” Gram-negative (Pseudomonas) and Gram- books and potentially relevant reviews were explored and positive (Lactobacillus) bacteria [49]. included in the reference list. +e literature search was Even though rosemary oil is used safely as a food fla- confined to the period between 2003 and December 2017. voring spice and whole leaves are used as a potherb for Several articles before 2000 were also included in order to seasoning, ingestion of great quantities can be associated point out the universal interest in natural products with with toxicity characterized by stomach and intestinal irri- potential applicability in therapy. +e dynamic character of tation and kidney damage. While rosemary oil is irritating to the field is reflected in the number of recent publications. For rabbit skin, it is not usually considered to be a sensitizer for example, a search with the keywords “Lamiaceae family and human skin [55]. pain” in ScienceDirect yields 152 titles in 2015, 111 in 2016, Bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, diterpenes, and 129 in 2017, and 23 papers will be published in the first phenols, and triterpenes from plant sources have been months of the next year (Figure 1). traditionally extracted by a