Journal of Pain & Relief
Open Access

Research Article

Antinociceptive Properties of Methanolic Bark Extracts of Terminalia brownii in Wistar Rats

Jane W Mbiri^1*, Sichangi Kasili², Patrick D Kisangau², Michael N Musila¹, Mathew N Piero¹ and Wilton M Mbinda³

¹Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, South Eastern Kenya University, Kenya

²Department of Biology, South Eastern Kenya University, Kenya

³Department of Physical Sciences, Karatina University, Kenya

*Corresponding Author:

Jane W Mbiri
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Pure and Applied Sciences
South Eastern Kenya University, P.O. Box: 170-90200, Kitui, Kenya
Tel: +245-704-428 355
Email: jane7mbiri@gmail.com

Received date: August 10, 2016; Accepted date: August 26, 2016; Published date: August 29, 2016

Citation: Mbiri WJ, Kasili S, Kisangau DP, Musila NM, Piero NM, et al. (2016) Antinociceptive Properties of Methanolic Bark Extracts of Terminalia brownii in Wistar Rats. J Pain Relief 5:261. doi:10.4172/2167-0846.1000261

Copyright: © 2016 Mbiri WJ, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

Background: The barks of the medicinal plant, Terminalia brownii, are widely used in African folk medicine for the management of pain. However, this ethno-medicinal allegation has not been scientifically validated. This study was therefore designed to verify the antinociceptive potential of the methanolic bark extract of T. brownii in Wistar rats (Rattus novegicus). Methods: Fresh barks of T. brownii were obtained from Kitui County, Kenya with the guidance of a residential herbalist. The study used thirty 2-3 months old male Wistar rats, weighing 140-150 g. The rats were randomly divided into 6 groups; three control groups (normal, negative and positive) and three experimental groups (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg extract treatment). Each group had five rats. The analgesic properties of the extract were evaluated on formalin-induced pain and diclofenac was used as the standard drug. Results: The methanolic bark extracts of T. brownii demonstrated significant antinociceptive activity (p<0.05) by reducing the paw licking time by between 4.62%-44.96% in the early phase and 35.77%-58.89% in the late phase. Diclofenac reduced the paw licking time by 44.79% in the early phase and 55.33% in the late phase. Conclusion: Our study results strongly support the antinociceptive activity of the barks of T. brownii and rationalize the traditional use of the barks in management of pain.

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