Evaluation of Analgesic and Anti-Inflammatory Activities on Ethanolic Extract of Terminalia chebula Fruits in Experimental Animal Models

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of ethanolic extract of Terminalia chebula (commonly known as Haritaki) fruits in experimental animal models. The study was carried out using Swiss Albino mice (20 - 25 g) and Long Evans rats (100 - 150 g) of either sex. The analgesic activity of Terminalia chebula was assessed by using hot plate method. For the determination of analgesic effect, doses of ethanolic extract of Terminalia chebula used in the present study were 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg body weight (BW). Anti-inflammatory effect was analyzed by carrageenan induced paw edema method with the administration dose of 300 mg/kg BW of animals. The analysis of experimental data was performed by statistical process of ANOVA to determine the variability of sample, while Dunnet’s test was performed for evaluation of comparative analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of Terminalia chebula with control and standard. The animals were divided into four treatment groups of six animals each and the “Mean ± SEM” is the statistical identifiable value of the data and P values <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Hot plate test showed a significant increase in the mean reaction time to heat stimuli in hot plate method at both 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg BW doses throughout the observation period in 30 minutes and 60 minutes after treatment, which was comparable to the standard ketorolac and control group. In carrageenan induced paw edema method, considerable results were found after determining the percentage change in paw volume in extract. In both cases of analgesic and anti-inflammatory study, % inhibition of pain and inflammation were evaluated. Comparing with control, largest inhibition was found in inhibiting inflammation 5 hours after treatment, while the largest inhibition of pain was obtained in 30 minutes and 60 minutes after treatment of doses.