Studies on antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and cns depressant activities of the plant cleome viscosa linn

Abstract

Cleome viscosa Linn. (Family: Capparaceae) is an annual and sticky herb and comm only known as wild or dog mustard. It has various ethnomedicinal values as various traditional communities find diverse medicinal properties. This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant, analgesic, anti - inflammatory and CNS depressant activities of cru de methanolic extract, chloroform fraction as well as ethyl acetate fraction of Cleome viscosa Linn. In DPPH free radical scavenging activity, in total antioxidant activity and in reducing power capacity tests the chloroform fraction showed stronger activi ty than that of the crude methanolic extract and its ethyl acetate fraction with an IC50 value 4.1 which is almost equal to that of the standard ascorbic acid (3.8), absorbance of 1.139 and 1.495 respectively. But total phenolic content and total flavonoid content were found to be significantly higher in ethyl acetate fraction (264.11±16.2595 and 224.79±7.1686) than that of the crude methanolic extract and its chloroform fraction. In analgesic activity study using acetic acid induced writhing test chlorofor m fraction showed highest activity (writhing inhibition 81.25%, 50 mg/kg b.w). In anti - inflammatory activity study following carrageenan induced paw edema test ethyl acetate fraction showed potent anti - inflammatory activity, on the other hand crude methano lic extract and chloroform fraction showed moderate activity. In CNS depressant activity using hole cross and open field test it was observed that all the extract showed moderate activity in hole cross method while in open field method the crude methanolic extract showed the highest activity