Anti-nociceptive activity of the ethanol extract of Eucalyptus globulus leaf in experimental animals

Abstract

Eucalyptus globulus has been used in African folklore for the treatment of several disease conditions like pain, fever and inflammation. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-nociceptive properties of Eucalyptus globulus and the probable mechanism using thermal and chemical models of nociception. Acute toxicity revealed no mortality in the mice up to a dose of 5,000 mg/kg. The phytochemistry revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, cardiac glycosides and terpenoids. The extract significantly reduced pain as compared to control in the thermal and chemical models of pain employed in this study through mechanism that may involve the L-Type Voltage gated Calcium channel but ruled out the involvement of the adrenergic system and ATP sensitive K+ channel. Moreover the anti-nociceptive activities demonstrated by the extract in this study might be due to the phytochemicals revealed in the extract.