Evaluation of analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic activities of Ziziphus mauritania Lam leaves in animal models

Abstract

Ziziphus mauritiana (Rhamnaceae), commonly known as Ziziphus jujuba Mill, is in traditional Chinese medicine enriched with high medicinal values. In Indian and Chinese traditional medicine, a decoction of Ziziphus mauritiana leaves was used to cure insomnia, amnesia, pain, and vertigo. The study aims to determine the analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic activities of Ziziphus mauritiana Lam leaves to establish a rationale for their use. We studied analgesic activity by writhing and the hot plate methods in mice, whereas mechanical allodynia in rats. Also, rats were used in carrageenan anti-inflammatory and brewer's yeast-caused pyrexia. MEZ were tested at 250 and 500 mg/kg orally. Molecular docking studies between 3 inflammatory pathway proteins and natural molecules are planned and carried out. CHARMm was used for docking, and the smart minimizer algorithm was used to reduce energy. Acute toxicity testing up to 5000 mg/kg showed no deaths. Both UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS analysis and phytochemical analysis supported the presence of flavonoids, terpenoids and saponins. At a dose of 500 mg/kg, MEZ significantly (p<0.001) reduces the perception of pain brought on by thermal, mechanical, and chemical pain models. Paw edema is dramatically reduced at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 h after carrageenan injection by MEZ at 500 mg/kg.Similarly, MEZ at 500 mg/kg showed a gradual drop in rectal temperatures from 3 to 9 h. The docking result illustrated that the quercetin and rutin exposed a better binding with inflammatory protein through multiple hydrogen bonds and π interactions. The findings showed that the MEZ has potential analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and antipyretic properties at the levels studied, supporting the traditional use claim.