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n-Hexane and ethyl acetate extracts as well as coumarin derivatives obtained from the n-hexane extract of the aerial parts of Seseli gummiferum Pall. ex Sm. subsp. corymbosum (Boiss. & Heldr.) P.H. Davis (Apiaceae) were evaluated in vivo for their anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities. The n-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of the species were shown to possess significant inhibitory activity against the carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and p-benzoquinone-induced writhing models in mice. Among the isolated coumarin derivatives; (-)-(3'S,4'S)-3'-acetoxy-4'-isovaleryloxy-3',4'-dihydroseselin (1), (-)-(3'S,4'S)-3'-acetoxy-4'-angeloyloxy-3',4'-dihydroseselin (2), (+)-(3'S,4'S)-3'-hydroxy-4'-angeloyloxy-3',4'-dihydroseselin (D-laserpitin) (3), (-)-(3'S,4'S)-3'-angeloyloxy-4'-hydroxy-3',4'-dihydroseselin (4), and osthole (5), only the 3'-acetoxy derivatives 1 and 2 were found to possess potent antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities, per os, without inducing any apparent acute toxicity as well as gastric damage, while all other compounds and extracts were found to be ineffective in the TPA-induced mouse ear edema model assay.

An acetone extract obtained from aerial parts of S. stricta Boiss. & Heldr. apud Bentham, its fractions and phenolic compounds were investigated for their in vivo anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities. For the anti-inflammatory activity and for the antinociceptive activity assessment, carrageenan-induced hind paw edema and p-benzoquinone-induced abdominal constriction tests were used, respectively. The acetone extract of the plant and its phenolic fraction exhibited potent inhibitory activity against both bioassay models in mice. From the active phenolic fraction a well-known phenylethanoid glycoside, verbascoside (acteoside) (1), and two flavonoid glycosides, isoscutellarein 7-O-[6"'-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1-->2)]-beta-D-glucopyranoside (2) and isoscutellarein 7-O-[6"'-O-acetyl-beta-D-allopyranosyl-(1-->2)]-6"-O-acetyl-beta-D-glucopyranoside (3), were isolated. During phytochemical studies we also isolated a methoxyflavone, xanthomicrol (4), from the non-polar fraction. The structures of the isolated compounds were established by spectroscopic evidence (UV, IR, 1D- and 2D-NMR, MS). Although antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of the phenolic components were found not significant in the statistical analysis, compounds 1 to 3 showed a notable activity without inducing any apparent acute toxicity as well as gastric damage. Furthermore, a mixture of flavonoid glycosides (2 + 3) exhibited a significant inhibitory effect in both models at a higher dose.