ANALGESIC AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EVALUATION OF FICUS MICROCARPA L. LEAVES EXTRACT

摘要

Ficus Microcarpa L. is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of various body pains in India traditionally. It is also used in various conditions like diabetes, ulcers, burning sensations, haemorrhages, leprosy, itching, liver disease. The methanol extract of its leaves was investigated for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities in animal models. The extract at 50, 100 and 200mg/kg body weight reduced significantly the formation of oedema induced by carrageenan and histamine. Statistical analysis of the data was done using one–way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Dunnett's test and significance determined using P -values <0.05.In the acetic acid-induced writhing model, the extract had a good analgesic effect characterized by a reduction in the number of writhes when compared to the control. Similarly, the extract caused dose -dependent decrease of licking time and licking frequency in rats injected with 2.5% formalin. These results were also comparable to those of diclofenac sodium, the reference drug used in this study. Acute toxicity test showed that the plant may be safe for the pharmacological uses. This study has provided some justification for the folkloric use of the plant in several communities for conditions such as pain, skin allergies and inflammations