Analgesic Activity of Ethanol Leaf Extract of Saccharum officinarum doi.org/10.26538/tjnpr/v5i6.27

Abstract

Pain is one of the commonest symptoms reported to physicians and health workers and causes more frequent visits to health facilities than most other symptoms. Diverse methods and substances including plant parts are being used to  treat pain. Saccharum officinarum (sugar cane) which is used in traditional medicine to treat arthritis was therefore  investigated to authenticate its ability to ameliorate pain. The ethanol leaf extract of S. officinarum (170, 340, 510 mg/kg) was evaluated for analgesic activity against experimentally-induced pain in mice using three standard models of acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin-induced hind paw licking and thermally-induced pain. The median lethal dose (LD50) of the extract using Lorke’s method, was estimated to be 173 g/kg. The leaf extract significantly (p<0.005-0.001) inhibited pain in all the models tested in a dose-dependent fashion. Acetic acid-induced model is used to test for pain of visceral origin. Formalin causes biphasic pain, first phase being neurogenic, while the second phase is peripheral and central. Hot plate model is used to test for pain of central origin. Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) induces analgesia through activation of opiod receptors and can be used to test for pain of peripheral and central origin. Therefore, the apparent similarity between the results of the extract and ASA indicates that they might work in the same manner to reduce pain sensation. The findings of this study show that the leaf extract possesses analgesic activity which confirms its use in traditional medicine in the treatment of pain.