Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Activities of the Ethanolic Extract of the Leaf of Syzygium Guineense in Rats and Mice

Abstract

Ethanolic extract of the leaves of Syzygium guineense was investigated in rats and mice for analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. The activities of the extract was tested on the egg white induced oedema, acetic acid induced writhing and hot plate pain models. The LD50 of the ethanolic extract of S. guineense was found to be 3.807 g/kg. At concentrations of 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg the extract was found to possess significant (P<0.05) analgesic effects on the hot plate model, but only the concentration of 1000 mg/kg possessed significant (P<0.05) anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects on the writhing test. Lower concentration of 200 mg/kg possessed insignificant (P>0.05) anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. Phytochemical test revealed that the extract contains flavonoids, tannins, cardiac glycosides and saponins. These results support some of the use of the plant in folk medicine.