Evaluation Of Antinociceptive And Anti-Inflammatory Effects Of Pentaclethra Macrophylla (Benth.) Aqueous Extracts In Mice

ABSTRACT

This study was carried out to evaluate the 'cytotoxicity and the anti-trichomonal, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory and antimalarial effects of aqueous extracts of Pentaclethra macrophylla (Benth). The efficacy of the extracts (fruit-pericarp, bark, leaf and seed) against the flagellate Trichomonas gallinae was determined by using metronidazole as a reference drug. The parasite was isolated from the crop of domestic pigeon and incubated for 24hrs. Minimal lethal concentrations (MLCs) of three of the four extracts (fruit-pericarp, bark and seed) ranged between 100-1 000tg/ml while the parasite was not sensitive to the leaf extract. The cytotoxicity test revealed that the bark was highly toxic (256.4p.1) followed by the fruit-pericarp (80.1 p1). In the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory tests, oedema' formation in the lungs was significantly (P<0.05) suppressed in seed, fruitpericarp, and leaf extracts. The seed and leaf extracts significantly (P><0.05) suppressed oedema formation in the carrageenin induced right paw oedema test; while the reduction observed in the fruit-pericarp was not significant (P>0.05). The number of leucocytes counted from the exudates collected in the pleural I cavity showed a significant