Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Profile of n-Hexane Fraction of Viola betonicifolia

Purpose: To evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of n-hexane extract of the whole plant of Viola betonicifolia Sm, family: Violaceace. Methods: The n-hexane fraction of Viola betonicifolia (VBHF) was tested for its analgesic and antiinflammatory activities (carrageenan-induced and histamine-induced edema models) in BALB/c mice. Results: VBHF exhibited significant (p < 0.01) analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity at test doses of 100, 200 and 300 mg/kg. The analgesic effect of VBHF was dose-dependent in acetic acid pain model while the extract was a weak analgesic at the dose of 300 mg/kg in hot plate and tail immersion test. Diclofenac sodium and tramadol showed better analgesic properties to the extract. Analgesia was not antagonized by naloxone in the hot plate model. Anti-inflammatory activity against carrageenan-induced edema was 60.8 %; however, histamine-induced inflammation was not antogonised by the extract. Conclusions: The extract has some analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. This justifies its use in traditional medicine for pain of management.