Analgesic, anti-inflammatory and local anesthetic activity of methanol extract of Bryophyllum pinnatum leaves

Abstract

In order to scientifically evaluate some of the ethnomedical uses of Bryophyllum pinnatum leaves, the present study was undertaken to explore analgesic, anti-inflammatory and local anesthetic activity of Bryophyllum pinnatum leavesmethanol extract (BPME) in experimental animal models. The analgesic effect of the herb’s methanol leaf extract was evaluated by the ‘hot-plate’ and ‘acetic acid’ test models of pain in mice. The anti-inflammatory effects of the plant’s extract were investigated using Carageenan induced hind paw edema in rats and local anesthetic activity was studied using foot withdrawal reflex in frog.Methanol extract of the plant showed significant dose depended analgesic activity up to 83.79% against chemically induced pain in mice compared to 97.93% produced by piroxicam and showed mild anti-inflammatory activity up to 43.10% against Carageenan induced hind paw edema in rats compared to 75.66% produced by piroxicam but failed to reveal any analgesic activity against thermal stimuli using hot plate method and did not show any local anesthetic activity. The antihistaminic activity and different chemical constituents (flavonoids, polyphenols, triterpenoids) of the herb might have attributed to its analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities.