ABSTRACT
This study analyzes the antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties of ethanolic leaf extract of Alafia barteri Oliv., Apocynaceae, based on its medicinal use in the treatment of toothaches, inflammation and fevers. The antinociceptive effect was assessed in mice using acetic acid-induced writhing, tail clip, tail immersion and formalin assays. Anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated on carrageenan-induced paw oedema in rats, and xylene-induced ear oedema in mice. In acetic acid-induced writhing test, the extract at different doses (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly (p < 0.05) and dose-dependently reduced pain by 35.04, 56.49 and 84.25%, respectively. The extract also significantly inhibited both the early and late phases of formalin-induced nociception in mice. In the tail immersion test, the extract caused a significant inhibition of pain (34.43% inhibition, after 90 min) at a dose of 200 mg/kg, while the effect of the extract in the tail clip test was only significant at the 100 mg/kg dose. A. barteri caused a significant inhibition of paw oedema development in the carrageenan and xylene-induced oedema tests. There was no mortality recorded following treatment with the extract (5 g/kg, p.o.). The results support the traditional use of A. barteri in the treatment of various diseases associated with pain and inflammation.
ABSTRACT
The preliminary phytochemical studies of Alafia barteri stem extracts revealed the presence of reducing sugar, steroids, glycosides, flavonoids and anthraquinones. Hexane, ethylacetate and methanol successive extracts of A. barteri stem showed inhibition on the six test bacteria. Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were sensitive to methanol extract at concentrations ranging from 25 to 200mg/ml using agar disk diffusion procedure, while hexane and ethylacetate extracts of the plant inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa at concentrations between 50 and 200mg/ml. Hexane and ethylacetate extracts showed lower inhibition on Staphyloccocus aureus and Bacillus subtilis (gram positive), and Klebsiellae pneumonae (gram negative). Meanwhile, methanol extract exhibited antibacterial properties on Staphyloccocus aureus at concentrations between 50 and 200mg/ml, and Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiellae pneumonae and Salmonellae typhii at concentrations between 100 and 200mg/ml. The three extracts exhibited higher antifungal properties on Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus stolon, Penicillum notatum, Tricophyton rubrum and Epidermophyton floccosum with activity comparable to that of the reference drug tioconazole trosyd.