Analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects of Allium Ascalonicum

Abstract

The methanol and aqueous extract of Allium ascalonicom were investigated for analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. Thermal and chemical models of pain assessment were used while albumin was used to induce inflammation. The extracts were administered at doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg. The methanol extract produced analgesic activity at all the doses tested by reducing significantly (P< 0.05) the early and the late phases of formalin induced paw licking in rats, while the aqueous extract reduced the early and late phases of paw licking at a dose of 200mg/kg and only the early phase at a dose of 100mg/kg. In the thermally induced pain, both the methanol and aqueous extract showed significant (P< 0.05) inhibition only at a dose of 200 mg/kg for temperatures of 45^oC and 50^oC but no significant inhibition at 55^oC and 60^oC. Both the methanol and aqueous extracts significantly (P< 0.05) exhibited dose dependent inhibition of albumin-induced paw oedema in rats (at 3 hours post treatment with the extracts). In conclusion this study has shown that the aqueous and methanol extracts of Allium ascalonicum have mild analgesic activity and strong anti-inflammatory activities.

Keywords: Allium ascalonicum, anti-inflammatory activity, analgesic activity, oedema

The Tropical Journal of Health Sciences Vol. 13(1) 2006: 28-32