Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria; Department of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umu
Yusuf, O.S., Department of Biochemistry, College of Natural and Applied Sciences, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria; Maxwell, E.I., Department of Veterinary Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Micheal Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia State, Nigeria
This study evaluated the analgesic activity of the methanolic leaf extract of Jatropha curcas (Linn) in-vivo using analgesic models viz. hot plate method in mice, tail flick or immersion method in rats and the acetic acid-induced writhing reflex model in mice. In all the models, Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA) was used as the reference drug. In the hot plate and tail flick models, the oral administration of J. curcas extract at the doses of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg and the reference drug ASA (400 mg/kg) showed potent analgesic effects by significantly (P < 0.001) increasing the Pain Reaction Time (PRT) dose dependently in mice and rats. Also the reference drug and the extract of J. curcas significantly (P < 0.0001) decreased the number of the abdominal Keywords: Jatropha curcas; hot plate; tail flick; writhing reflex; ASA; acetylsalicylic acid. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Yusuf, O.S. and Maxwell, E.I. (2011) 'The evaluation of the analgesic activity of the methanolic leaf extract of Jatropha curcas (Linn) in experimental animals', Int. J. Biomedical Engineering and Technology, Vol. 6, No. 2, pp.200-207. Biographical notes: Omeh S. Yusuf is a Lecturer in Biochemistry and has BSc and MSc degrees, with specialisation in Medical/Plant Biochemistry. He is pursuing his PhD in Lipid Biochemistry, which is nearing completion. He is involved in research concerning medicinal plants. contortions in the acetic acid-induced writhing reflex in mice and increased the percentage protection in a dose dependent manner. In conclusion, this study indicates that the methanolic leaf extract of Jatropha curcas has significant analgesic properties and may be acting through both peripheral and central pain mechanisms. © 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.