Anti-nociceptive, Anti-inflammatory and Antipyretic Activities of Ethanolic Extract of Atylosia scarabaeoides (L.) Benth (Family: Fabaceae) Leaves in Experimental Animal

Abstract

Background: Atylosia scarabaeoides (L.) Benth, belonging to the family Fabaceae and locally known as Banurkali or Thitkalai, has been widely used in folkloric medicine. Hence, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the anti-nociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic activities of ethanolic extract of A. scarabaeoides leaves using Swiss-albino mice as test animal. Methods: The anti-nociceptive activity was assessed using both chemical-induced (acetic acid writhing response test, formalin test) and heat-induced (tail-flick test, hot-plate test) nociception models in mice at different doses (150, 300 and 450 mg/kg, p.o.) of the extract. The anti-inflammatory activity was investigated using in vivo carrageenan-induced paw oedema and in vitro membrane stabilising tests. Antipyretic activity was evaluated using Brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia model. Results: Oral administration of the ethanolic extract exhibited a significant (P<0.05 - <0.001) dose-dependent analgesia in various pain models. In acetic acid-induced writhing test, the writhing response inhibitory percent by the extract was 29.82% and 31.58% at 300 and 450 mg/kg doses respectively. The extract also significantly inhibited the licking response in both the early phase (61.84%, P<0.01) and the late period (89.36%, P<0.001) in the formalin-induced writhing test at a dose of 450 mg/kg b.w. Furthermore, in tail flick and hot plate test, the plant extract at varying concentrations increased the reaction time to the thermal stimuli up to 120 min. The extract also significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01 and P<0.001) inhibited carrageenan-induced inflammatory response in mice in a dose-related manner. In the in-vitro anti-inflammatory test, the extract (1 mg/ml) demonstrated significant (P<0.01 ) protection against RBC hemolysis with 77.13 ± 6.61 % inhibition which was closer to that of the standard drug acetylsalicylic acid (84.25 ± 3.73 %). The extract also reduced hyperthermia induced by Brewer’s yeast depending on the dose, and the maximum activity was found at the dose of 450 mg/kg b.w. Conclusion: Since the study revealed that the ethanolic extract of A. scarabaeoides leaves possesses anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive and antipyretic activities. Therefore, the findings supported the use of the plant extract in the traditional medicine as an oral remedy for pains, inflammation, and fever.