Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Argyreia speciosa and Sphearanthus indicus in the Experimental Animals

Argyreia speciosa (Convolvuceae) is regarded as a ‘Rasayan’ drug in the ayurvedic system of medicine to cure diseases of nervous system. Sphearanthus indicus is known as nervine tonic and used for relief of pain in Indian traditional system of medicine. In the present study an attempt was made to evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of hydroalcoholic extract of Argyreia speciosa root (ASE) and Sphearanthus indicus herb (SIE) using various experimental models. ASE and SIE at the doses of 100, 200 and 500 mg/kg (p.o.) were tested for its analgesic effect using tail flick test in rats and acetic acid induced writhing test in mice. The anti-inflammatory effect was evaluated for both plant extracts (100, 200 and 500 mg/kg, p.o) using acute inflammatory model, carrageenan induced paw oedema in rats. ASE and SIE exhibited significant (p<0.05) and dose dependent analgesic activity compared with the control as evidenced by increased escape latency in the tail flick test and reduction in abdominal writhing induced by acetic acid. Furthermore, ASE and SIE were significantly (p<0.05) reduced rat paw edema induced by subplantar injection of carrageenan. This study provides scientific basis for the traditional medicinal uses of these plants for analgesic and antiinflammatory activity.