ABSTRACT
Background: Brachistgia euricoma (B. euricoma)Harms (Fabaceae) is used in ethno-medicine for the management of pain.
Aim: This study evaluated the antinociceptive and antioxidant activities of methanol stem bark extract of B. euricoma and the possible mechanism(s) of action.
Methods: The antinociceptive effect of methanol stem bark extract of B. euricoma was evaluated using acetic acid mouse writhing model. To establish the possible mechanism(s) of action of B. euricoma, separate group of animals were pretreated with naloxone (1 mg/kg, i.p.), atropine (1 mg/kg, i.p.), haloperidol (0.1 mg/kg, i.p.), and ondansetron (1 mg/kg, i.p.) 30 min prior to B. euricoma oral administration before treatment with 0.6 % acetic acid (10 ml/kg, i.p). The in vitro antioxidant potential was evaluated using established methods. Results: The extract at 100 mg/kg, significantly (p<0.05) reduced the number of writhing in the experimental mice. Pretreatment of animals with naloxone significantly reversed the antinociceptive activity of B. euricoma. The extract demonstrated significant (p<0.05) radical scavenging activity (IC50 5.888 μg/mL), with a high phenolic content. The total phenol content was 157.6 per gram of gallic acid.
Conclusions: This study suggests that there is a possible involvement of opioidergic pathway in the antinociceptive effect of methanol stem bark extract of B. euricoma. In addition the extract possesses an antioxidant effect.
Keywords: Pain, antinociceptive, antioxidant, Brachistgia euricoma, opioidergic.
