Analgesic Activity of Alchornea laxiflora Stembark Extract in Mice
Jude E. Okokon *
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria and Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Madonna University, Elele Campus, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Anwangabasi E. Udoh
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
Chinyelu Clementina Osigwe
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Madonna University, Elele Campus, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Ugonma Florence Uwaeme
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Madonna University, Elele Campus, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Henry Thomas Okon
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Uyo, Uyo, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Alchornea laxiflora is used in Ibibio ethnomedicine for the treatment of various diseases such as pains. This work was designed to validate and confirm the ethnomedical use of this plant in the treatment of pain. The ethanol stembark extract of Alchornea laxiflora (141-424 mg/kg) was evaluated for analgesic activity against experimentally-induced pains in mice using acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin-induced hind paw licking and thermally-induced pain models. The stembark extract significantly (p<0.005-0.001) inhibited pains in all the models tested in a dose-dependent manner. The extract caused reduction in acetic acid-induced writhing, inhibited the two phases of formalin-induced pains with a more considerable inhibition of the second phase and prolonged the reaction time of mice dose - dependently in thermally-induced pain. The findings of this study show that the stembark extract possess analgesic activity which confirms its use in traditional medicine in the treatment of pains.
Keywords: Alchornea laxiflora, acetic acid, analgesic, pain, stembark