Evaluating the Analgesic Activity of the Ethanolic Leaf Extract of Ipomoea aquatica (convolvulaceae)

Ipomoea aquatica, commonly known as water spinach, is a leafy vegetable widely consumed in tropical and subtropical regions for its nutritional benefits. This study investigated the potential analgesic activity of the ethanolic leaf extract of I. aquatica, as no prior scientific evidence supports its role in acute pain management. Male Swiss albino mice were used in an acetic acid-induced writhing test, with aspirin as the positive control and plain normal saline solution (PNSS) as the negative control. The extract was administered at low, medium, and high doses. In the writhing test, I. aquatica significantly inhibited the writhing response of mice induced by acetic acid, with inhibition rates of 49.7%, 50.8%, and 45.2% for the low, medium, and high doses, respectively—comparable to the positive control (50.8%). A highly significant one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) result (F = 17.75, p = 0.000001) confirmed differences among treatments, and post hoc analysis revealed that all extract doses differed significantly from the negative control (p < 0.001). However, no significant differences were observed between the extract doses and Aspirin or among the different extract concentrations, supporting the analgesic potential of I. aquatica at all tested doses.