Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory and Antinociceptive Activities of Essential Oils of Three Satureja Species (Satureja briquetti, Satureja atlantica and Satureja alpina) Growing Wild in the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco

This article describes the biological activities of essential oils of three species of Satureja. The choice of plants and activities studied was motivated by the frequent traditional use of Satureja abriquetti, Satureja atlantica and Satureja alpina by indigenous populations for the efficacy and virtues they discovered. The aim of the experiments is to prove the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities of theessential oils of S. briquetti, S. atlantica and S. alpina. The antioxidant activity was evaluated by three different methods namely the free radical scavenging, the Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power and the phosphomolybdenum method. The Carrageenan induced paw oedema in rats assay was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of essential oils. In order to prove the antinociceptive activity, the plantar model was chosen. The three essential oils have interesting antioxidant powers, especially by the reductive and phosphomolybdenum methods where the activities of S. atlantica and S. alpina exceed that of S. briquetti. In order to evaluate the anti-inflammatory activities of essential oils, the dose used orally is 200 mg / kg. S. alpina represents the best anti-inflammatory profile with an inhibitory capacity of 91.4%. The essential oil of S. atlantica has a slightly higher antalgic power followed by S. briquetti and S. alpina respectively. The results obtained confirm the traditional therapeutic effects and the use of these plants by the autochthonous population of the Middle Atlas Mountains of Morocco.