ABSTRACT:
The present study evaluated the analgesic and diuretic activity of a benzene extract of the whole plant Crataegus oxyacantha. The study used acetic acid-induced abdominal writhing, tail immersion, hot plate analgesic models and diuretic activity using the Lipschitz model in albino rats. Two oral test doses (200 and 400 mg/kg body weight) of the C.oxyacantha extract were administered and compared with a standard reference. Diclofenac (100 mg/kg), as a reference standard and a control were used for the analgesic part of the study. The diuretic effect of the extract was evaluated by measuring urine volume. Furosemide 20 mg/kg and normal saline were used as the reference drug and the control for the study of diuretic activity. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of the extract was also carried out to determine the constituents. In the acetic acid-induced writhing reflex model, the extract and the reference drug significantly (p<0.001) decreased the mean total number of abdominal constrictions. In the tail immersion method, all the test and standard drugs significantly (p <0.0005) reduced the pain as compared to the control group. Similar results (p <0.001) were achieved with the hot plate method. Additionally, the two doses of C.oxyacantha exhibited significant (p < 0.001) diuretic activity in comparison to the control. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of steroids, terpenoids and triterpenoids. Crataegus oxyacantha demonstrated significant analgesic activity and provided a quantitative basis for supporting the folkloric use of C.oxyacantha L. as a diuretic agent.