Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the hydroalcoholic extract from Gloriosa superba Linn

Gloriosa supberba (family: Liliaceae) is widely used as a medicinal plant, and the alkaloids from the plant (Colchicines and Gloriosine)are used in the treatment of gout and rheumatism. We evaluated the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of hydroalcoholic extract (50% v/v) of dried aerial parts of G. superba. The analgesic activity of the extract was evaluated by using Eddy’s hot plate method and acetic acid-induced writhing method. The anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated by using the cotton wool granuloma model and the carrageenan-induced paw edema model. The percentage inhibitions of writhes or percentage protection were found to be 64.09%, 78.56% and 81.45% for extract at a dose 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, respectively, in the acetic acid-induced writhing method (P <0.01) when compared with control. The percentage increase in reaction time at 90 minutes were 21.02%, 79.96% and 158.05% for extract at a dose of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight, respectively, in Eddy’s hot plate method (P <0.01) when compared with control. The percentage inhibition of paw edema was increased with time and gave maximum effect at 2 hours, then declined in case of standard extract 400 mg/kg body weight. Only the 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight extracts exhibited significant result (P <0.05) when compared with control. The rats exhibited 9.59%, 28.72% and 45.8% inhibition of granuloma mass formation after the 7 days treatment with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg body weight of extract when compared with control (P <0.05) in cotton pellet granuloma. Key words: Gloriosa supberba, analgesic activity, anti-inflammatory activity