Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the aqueous extracts of Maytenus senegalensis, Stereospermum kunthianum and Trichilia emetica used in the treatment of dysmenorrhoea in Mali

Abstract

The use of traditional herbal remedies is commonly encountered in the rural and urban areas in Mali. Traditional medicine is one of the surest means to achieve total health care coverage of the Africa's population. In Mali, more than 80 percent of the population depends upon traditional medicine and medicinal plants for primary health care. Our project is a contribution to the pharmacological and toxicological studies of three medicinal plants used in the treatment of dysmenorrhoea in Mali. The principal goal of the project is to propose improved traditional prescription developed with extracts of the three plants for the health care of the Malian population, especially women. Our previous report presented the ethnobotanical information on the three plants: Maytenus senegalensis Lam. (Celastraceae), Stereospermum kunthianum Cham. (Bignoniaceae) and Trichilia emetica Vahl. (Meliaceae) [1]. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of the aqueous extracts revealed the presence of coumarins, tannins, polysaccharides, leucoanthocyans, saponins glycosides etc. Here we studied the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of aqueous extracts of leaves, bark and roots of these plants. Investigations were carried out on acetic acid-induced writhing (pain) and hind paw oedema in mice. Results showed the decoctions 10% to possess significant anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities at the dose of 25mL/kg administrated orally in mice compared to control group (P<0.05, test t-Student). The best analgesic activity was found with the leaves of M. senegalensis, S. kunthianum and T. emetica, respectively 72, 85 and 75% of protection against pain. These data corroborate the traditional use of these three plants in the treatment of dysmenorrhoea.