Comparative study of analgesic activity of Diospyros melanoxylon (Roxb.) bark and root bark

Abstract

In order to scientifically appraise some of the ethnobotanical uses of Diospyros melanoxylon (Roxb.), the present study was undertaken to examine analgesic properties in the stem bark and root bark by ethanolic extracts in mice. The analgesic effect of ethanolic extracts was evaluated by 'hot plate' and 'acetic acid-induced writhing test' in mice by using pentazocine (5 mg/kg) and asprin (50 mg/kg) simultaneously as reference drugs. Diospyros melanoxylon (Roxb.) stem bark's ethanolic extracts possess analgesic activity, but here we also used root bark to check the extent of difference in activity. The ethanolic extract of stem bark (200 mg/kg) possessed significant analgesic activity, as in acetic acid-induced writhing test, the writhing count was reduced significantly compared to standard and root bark ethanolic extracts. In the hot plate method with ethanolic extracts of stem bark (200 mg/kg), the basal reaction time was increased significantly (p<0.01) and the percentage increase in threshold to pain was also significant as compared to standard.