ANALGESIC ACTIVITY OF ETHYL-ACETATE METHANOL EXTRACT OF UVARIA OVATA ROOT EXTRACT IN ADULT WISTER RATS

This research investigates the analgesic activity of ethyl-acetate methanol extract (fraction iv) of Uvaria ovata root extract in adult Wister rats. A total number of twenty (20) healthy female rats weighing 150–180g were used in this study. The animals were grouped into five, with group one serving as the control, group two served as the crude extract group (500mg/kg), group three being the standard drug group (Aspirin), and group four served as the test group, which received the ethyl-acetate methanol extract of the plant (500mg/kg). The result of ethyl-acetate methanol root extract of Uvaria ovata, investigated in this study shows that at 5000mg/kg of its lethal studies, it was not toxic in that no death was recorded, though a state of restlessness was observed in the rats. From the result of the analgesic effect, the plant was incapable of reducing the transduction and sensation of pain, as it had a mean percentage effect of 9.09 at p ≤ 0.05 and a mean number of writhe of 23.6 compared to the crude extract group which showed a level of analgesity, as it showed a mean percentage effect of 32.05 at p ≤ 0.05, and the normal control group that received aspirin as the standard drug, and it gave a mean percentage effect of 60.66 at p ≤ 0.05, and a mean number of writhe of 10.2. In view of this result, the F4 extract of Uvaria ovata root extract has no analgesic activity on the albino rats used in this study (at 500mg/kg) amidst showing no toxic effects In both stage one and stage two of its Lethality investigation. This may be due to the absence of the necessary phytochemicals relevant for the inhibition of pain synthesis and transduction as this is evident in the mean number of writhes observed in the test animals being 23.6, which is almost the same with the number observed in the control group (26) that received only acetic acid used in inducing pain in the test animals.