ABSTRACT
Background: The objective of the study was to evaluate anti-nociceptive effect of methanolic extract of Murraya koenigii leaves on thermal and mechanical pain in swiss albino mice.Methods: Thirty adult male swiss albino mice weighing 25-30 grams were selected and allocated in to five groups. Each group consists of six animals. The control group received vehicle (10 ml/kg), standard group received morphine (10 mg/kg) and test groups received dried methanolic extract of Murraya koenigii leaves (100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, 400 mg/kg per oral respectively) 1 hour before placing the animal over the hot plate at temperature of 55?C . A cut off period of 10 sec was observed to avoid damage of the paw. The response in the form of withdrawal of paws or licking of the paws. The delay in the reaction time denotes analgesic activity. The latency was recorded before and after 15, 30, 60, 120 minutes administration of drug. After washout period of 1 month the same group of animals were utilized to evaluate the analgesic effect by tail clip method for better comparison.Results: All the doses of Murraya koenigii leaves significantly delayed reaction time in hot plate method and tail clip method. The results were comparable to that produced by standard drug morphine.Conclusions: Murraya koenigii leaves has analgesic activity which was comparable to morphine.
ABSTRACT
Background: Psoriasis is a common, chronic and recurrent inflammatory disease of the skin. Methotrexate has been used in patient with psoriasis, a folic acid antagonist interfering with purine pathway and the mechanism of action in psoriasis is immune modulation and anti-inflammation. So, this study aims at monitoring the efficacy and adverse effects of methotrexate in south Indian patients with psoriasis attending a tertiary care hospital.Methods: It is a prospective, observational study conducted for a period of one year in subjects of either sex having psoriasis. Methotrexate was initiated in a single weekly oral dose of 5mg to 25mg. The efficacy was evaluated using psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score in all patients before starting methotrexate therapy and the end of first month, third month and sixth month of therapy. Adverse reaction was monitored.Results: All 40 psoriasis patients after treatment with methotrexate therapy showed improved skin lesions by falling PASI scoring at the end of first, third and sixth month of treatment. None of the patients in our study had pulmonary toxicity, life threatening adverse effects which required hospitalization.Conclusions: Use of methotrexate in the treatment of psoriasis in this study was found to be safe and highly efficacious and caused minimal adverse effects and it was well tolerated.