Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Potential of Methanolic Extract of <i>Emilia Sonchifolia</i> (Compositae) Leaves in Rodents

Abstract

Emilia sonchifolia (Lin)DC (compositae) has found various medicinal uses in folkloric medicine, as a cure for various ailment such as sore-throat, tonsillitis, styptic, vulnery, wounds healing, stomach ache, conjunctivitis, depurative, infantile tympanitis, anticonvulsants, bowel complaints and sores; aqueous extract is used to treat internal heat among pregnant women. The need to pharmacologically establish these claims stimulated this investigation of the plant. The LD₅₀, preliminary phytochemical screening, anti-inflammatory and analgesic potentials of the methanolic extracts of Emilia sonchifolia (ES) were investigated in mice using carragenin, egg albumin, capsaicin-induced paw oedema, formalin-induced paw licking, acetic acid induced writhing and hot plate nociception in mice. The LD₅₀ i.p. was calculated to be 2874.02mg/kg; phytochemical screening revealed the presence of terpines, flavonoids, tannins, saponins and alkaloids. The extract (287.4, 574.8, 862.2, ASA (100mg/kg) and 574.8 + ASA (mg/kg) (i.p.) produced a dose dependent (p<0.05-0.001) inhibition carragenin, egg-albumin, capsaicin, formalin-induced paw licking, acetic acid-induced writhing and hot plate nociception in mice. Preliminary phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids, tannins and alkaloids. Results from this study show that ES may be useful as anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent.

Key Words: Emilia sonchifolia, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, Acute toxicity, Phytochemical screening.