AN INVESTIGATION OF THE N-BUTANE EXTRACT OF COCOS NUCIFERA L’S ANALGESIC AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS IN EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS

Background and Aim: Coconut sprouts, often referred to as coconut shoots or coconut hearts, have the potential to be analgesic and anti-inflammatory because of their abundance of phytochemicals, antioxidant capabilities, and traditional usage. In northeastern Brazil, herbal remedies made from coconut husk fiber are used to treat inflammatory diseases like arthritis. This study aimed to evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of coconut extract, Cocos nucifera L. Methods: Fresh coconut sprouts were collected, dried in the shade, grounded, and extracted using n-butanol. Phytochemical screening was carried out. The acute oral toxicity test was conducted by OECD Guidelines 423. Mice were chosen for analgesics study using Eddy’s hot plate method, whereas Swiss Albino rats were used for studies on acute inflammation using the carrageen an-induced rat paw edema model. Multiple comparison tests were run after a one-way ANOVA for statistical analysis. Results and Conclusion: The presence of tannins, flavonoids, and alkaloids, among other compounds, which are responsible for the anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties, is revealed by the phytochemical screening. The therapeutic dosage is set between 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg in acute oral toxicity, where the animals do not exhibit toxic effects at 2000mg/kg. When compared to the control group, the test group’s 400mg/kg dose significantly inhibited paw edema in acute inflammation (P< 0.01). In an analgesic study, the test group’s 400mg/kg (P < 0.01) dose considerably increased the pain threshold compared to the control.