PHYTOCHEMICALS AND ANALGESIC PROPERTIES OF THE METHANOL STEM BARK EXTRACT OF ADANSONIA DIGITATA L. IN MICE

Shehu Yakubu Magaji*, Suleiman Yunusa, Ahmad Ali Darazo, Zainab Gambo Ibrahim and Ibrahim Muhammad

ABSTRACT

There is an urgent need to find cheap, safe and effective alternative analgesic agents to replace or supplement the currently available non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids which are associated with serious gastrointestinal and central nervous system side effects, respectively. In this work, analgesic activities of the methanol stem bark extract of Adansonia digitata were carried out in mice using acetic acid induced abdominal writhing and hot plate models for peripheral and central analgesic activities, respectively. Piroxicam (20 mg/kg, i.p) and pentazocine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) were used as standard drugs to validate the two models, respectively. In the acetic acid induced abdominal writhing test, the extract has significantly (p<0.05) and dose-dependently caused a decrease in the number of abdominal writhes in mice at all the doses tested when compared to the control group. In the hot plate test, the extract at 1000 mg/kg dose has significantly (p<0.05) increased the reaction time at 30 & 60 minutes with no significant (p<0.05) increase in reaction time at 90 and 120 minutes when compared to the control group. However, at doses of 250 & 500mg/kg dose, there was no significant (P<0.05) increase in reaction time by the extract when compared to the control group during the entire two hours duration. The result obtained concluded that the methanol stem bark extract of Adansonia digitata possesses analgesic activities which constitute the scientific basis of the traditional uses of the plant.

Keywords: Adansonia digitata, analgesics, hot plate test, acetic acid, abdominal writhes.