PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND PRELIMINARY EVALUATION OF ANALGESIC AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITIES OF THE METHANOL

Cissus polyantha is used in traditional medicine for the treatment of conjunctivitis and inflammation. In this study, the methanolic root extract of Cissus polyantha was subjected to preliminary phytochemical screening, analgesic and anti-inflammatory studies. Phytochemical studies was carried out using standard phytochemical protocol while the analgesic studies was carried out using acetic acid-induced writhing tests in mice. Carrageenan-induced hind paw oedema in rats was used to evaluate the anti-inflammatory potential of the extract. Phytochemical studies of the methanolic crude root extract of the plant revealed the presence of carbohydrates, flavonoids, saponins, tannins steroids and triterpenes. The extract at doses of 20, 40 and 80 mg/kg, i.p significantly (P < 0.05) decreased the acetic-acid induced writhing. The extract also produced significant (P < 0.05) and dose-independent anti-inflammatory activity comparable to that of reference drug, ketoprofen. The intraperitoneal lethal dose (LD 50) toxicity studies on the methanol crude root extract of the plant was found to be 288.53 mg/kg body weight. These findings are suggestive of the analgesic and anti-inflammatory potentials of the methanol root bark extract of the plant and provide a scientific rationale for the use of the root of Cissus polyantha in traditional medicine