Antinociceptive properties of dichloromethane: methanolic leaf and root bark extracts of Carissa edulis in rats

Abstract

Conventional medications are expensive and arguably associated with various severe adverse effects, hence the need to develop herbal agents that are effective as alternative. Carissa edulis (Forssk.) Vahl is the herb that has previously made thousands of people flock to a remote Loliondo village in Northern Tanzania, for its cure said to apply to all diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, ulcers, hypertension, and diabetes. Although C. edulis (Forssk.)Vahl is widely used for pain in the traditional system of medicine; review of the literature shows no scientifically investigated report of its described effects. This study was, therefore, designed to bioscreen the DCM: methanolic extract of the leaf and root bark of C. edulis on anti-nociceptive potential. The plant parts were collected from Siakago-Mbeere north sub-county, Embu County, Kenya. Pain was induced into the rats experimentally using formalin. Anti-nociceptive activities in rats were compared with diclofenac (15 mg/kg) as the standard conventional drug. The leaf extract reduced pain by between 47.04% - 47.19% (in the early phase) and 38.96% - 89.26% (in the late phase) while the root bark extracts reduced it by between 21.5% - 41.89% (in the early phase) and between 21.4% - 90.62% (in the later phase). Diclofenac reduced pain by between 27.37% - 34.9% (in the early phase) and 88.24% - 90.28% (in the late phase). Further, the phytochemical screening results showed that the extract had alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, saponins, phenolics and terpenoids which have been associated with anti-nociceptive activities. Therefore, the study has established that the DCM: methanolic extracts of C. edulis (Forssk.)Vahl are effective in the management of pain