A study on antinociceptive, antiinflammatory and antidiarrhoeal activities of <i>vallaris solanacea</i> (roth) kuntze bark extracts

Abstract

The present study investigated pharmacological activities to provide scientific basis for traditional usage of the plant, Vallaris solanacea (Roth). Phytochemical analysis of the dried roots indicated the presence of reducing sugars, tannins, saponins, gums, steroids, alkaloids and glycosides. The pharmacological interest of these compounds, coupled with the use of this plant in traditional medicine prompted the authors to check for its possible antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antidiarrhoeal
activities. The ethanolic extract showed statistically significant analgesic activity (p<0.01) in acetic acid induced writhing inhibition in mice at the dose of 500 mg/kg body weight and also showed mild effect at the dose of 250 mg/kg body weight. When given orally to rats at doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg, the extract showed a significant (P<0.001) anti-inflammatory activity against carrageenan induced paw edema in rats comparable to the standard drug phenyl butazone. The crude extract produced significant
antidiarrhoeal effect at the dose of 500 mg/kg of body weight comparable to that produced by loperamide, used as standard drug. The results tend to suggest that the extract might possess some chemical constituents that are responsible for analgesic, antiinflammatory and antidiarrhoeal activities.