Evaluation of Acute Toxicity, Anti-Inflammatory and Analgesic Effects of Ducrosia Anethifolia on Mice

Background: Pain and inflammation are complex biological mechanisms often associated with sensory, emotional, and cognitive discomfort resulting from tissue damage. Traditional medicine frequently employs medicinal plants for managing these conditions due to the adverse effects associated with conventional drugs. Ducrosia anethifolia, a medicinal plant native to Balochistan, Pakistan, is traditionally used for its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties.Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects of the methanolic extract of D. anethifolia seeds in mice.Methods: The seeds of D. anethifolia were collected, authenticated, and extracted using methanol. Acute toxicity was assessed by administering oral doses of 100, 500, 1000, 2000, and 3000 mg/kg to groups of mice and observing mortality rates over 24 hours. The analgesic effects were evaluated using the acetic acid-induced writhing test and the formalin-induced pain test. For the writhing test, mice were divided into groups and treated with 0.5 ml of normal saline (control), 250 mg/kg or 500 mg/kg of the extract, or 50 mg/kg of diclofenac sodium. Writhing responses were recorded for 30 minutes post-injection of acetic acid. In the formalin test, mice received treatments as in the writhing test, and licking and biting behaviors were recorded during acute (0-5 minutes) and chronic (15-30 minutes) phases. The anti-inflammatory effect was assessed using the carrageenan-induced paw edema method, where paw volumes were measured at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 hours post-carrageenan injection.Results: In the acute toxicity test, the LD50 of the extract was determined to be 2000 mg/kg. In the acetic acid-induced writhing test, the 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg doses of the extract showed significant analgesic effects with percentage inhibitions of 41.16% (p<0.05) and 62.07% (p<0.01), respectively. In the formalin test, the 250 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg doses significantly reduced licking and biting behaviors in the chronic phase to 39.66 ± 0.60 (p<0.05) and 30.16 ± 1.24 (p<0.05) respectively, compared to the control. In the anti-inflammatory test, the 500 mg/kg dose significantly reduced paw edema with a percentage inhibition of 48.40% (p<0.05).Conclusion: The methanolic seed extract of D. anethifolia demonstrated significant analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, supporting its traditional use for pain relief and inflammation management. These findings suggest that D. anethifolia could be a potential source for developing new analgesic and anti-inflammatory agents with fewer side effects than conventional drugs