{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T16:14:19Z","timestamp":1790007259651,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":32,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,8]],"date-time":"2025-07-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751932800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Antioxidants"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Primary dysmenorrhea (PD) is characterized by lower abdominal spasms and painful cramps during menstruation in females with a normal pelvic anatomy. Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf, commonly known as lemongrass, is consumed in the form of herbal tea around the world. It has been traditionally used for menstrual disorders in several communities. This study aims to evaluate the traditional use of C. citratus for its efficacy in alleviating the symptoms of PD. C. citratus extract (CcE) was chemically characterized using HPLC and GCMS, which indicated the presence of several phenolic compounds and long-chain fatty acids. The anti-inflammatory activity of CcE was assessed by COX-I, COX-II, and 5-LOX enzyme inhibition with IC50 values of 143.7, 91.7, and 61.5 \u00b5g\/mL, respectively, and showed good total antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging activity. PD was induced in female Wistar rats by administering estradiol valerate followed by oxytocin to induce PD symptoms. CcE efficacy was assessed at 30, 100, and 300 mg\/kg concentrations and compared with ibuprofen. CcE 300 mg\/kg reduced abdominal contortions and inflammation in the rat uterus. The inflammatory (COX-II, TNF\u03b1 and IL-10) and oxidative stress (TAC, TOS, MDA and SOD) markers in uterine tissue homogenate were also improved. An in vivo analgesic assessment through hot-plate, tail-flick, and acetic acid-induced writhing assays showed good analgesic activity by CcE, while ex vivo experiments described tocolytic effects in rat uterine muscles. CcE alleviates PD by its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and tocolytic effects.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/antiox14070838","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,8]],"date-time":"2025-07-08T11:58:07Z","timestamp":1751975887000},"page":"838","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Lemongrass Alleviates Primary Dysmenorrhea Symptoms by Reducing Oxidative Stress and Inflammation and Relaxing the Uterine Muscles"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Sheikh Safeena","family":"Sidiq","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Qaiser","family":"Jabeen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"QurratUlAin","family":"Jamil","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Muhammad Saeed","family":"Jan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, Bacha Khan University, Charsadda 24420, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-6186-9374","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Iram","family":"Iqbal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6242-7147","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fatima","family":"Saqib","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6693-4530","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammed","family":"Aufy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Vienna, UZA II, Josef-Holaubek-Platz 2, A-1090 Vienna, Austria"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5746-0866","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Shahid Muhammad","family":"Iqbal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan"},{"name":"Michael Sars Center, University of Bergen, 5007 Bergen, Norway"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"229","DOI":"10.1016\/j.anireprosci.2010.08.030","article-title":"The Normal Menstrual Cycle in Women","volume":"124","author":"Mihm","year":"2011","journal-title":"Anim. 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