ABSTRACT
Pongamia pinnata (L.) Pierre is a medium sized glabrous, perennial tree which grows in the littoral regions of South Eastern Asia and Australia. In the Indian Ayurvedic medicine, different parts of the plant have been used for pain relief in various disorders. The present study investigated the potential of different leaf extracts of Pongamia pinnata as an analgesic agent in rodents and our aim was also to study in-vitro cytoprotective effects of the various extracts from leaves of the plant. Different leaf extracts of Pongamia pinnata i.e. aqueous, alcoholic, acetone and chloroform were investigated for analgesic activity at the dose rate of 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg in Wistar rats. For the assessment of analgesic activity, tail flick method was used. In-vitro cytoprotective activity of various leaf extracts (at concentrations of 5% and 10%) was evaluated in ATCC acquired MDBK cell lines and for this study, cytotoxicity was induced by thiomethoxam. It was observed that almost all the extracts demonstrated the dose dependent analgesic activity with maximum response in the aqueous extract group @ 100 mg/kg when compared to control. For cytoprotective study, oxidative stress parameters- catalase, LPO, SOD and GPx were determined. Study on analgesic activity revealed the presence of dose dependent effect in all extracts with highest effect in aqueous extract of Pongamia pinnata. We believe that triterpene alkaloids and steroidal principles present in the plant products might be responsible for the analgesic effect