EVALUATION OF ANALGESIC ACTIVITY OF LACTIUM (α-CASOZEPINE) IN SWISS ALBINO MICE: A COMPARATIVE STUDY WITH PENTAZOCINE

Background: Pain management remains challenging with current analgesics associated with significant adverse effects. Lactium, a milk protein hydrolysate containing α-casozepine with GABA-A receptor affinity, has unexplored analgesic potential. Methods: Twenty-four male Swiss albino mice (20-30g) were randomly divided into four groups (n=6): control (normal saline 10ml/kg), standard (pentazocine 10mg/kg), and test groups receiving Lactium at 150mg/kg and 300mg/kg, administered orally. Analgesic activity was assessed using Eddy’s hot plate method and Haffner’s tail clip method at 0, 30, and 60 minute post-administration. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way repeated measures ANOVA followed by Bonferroni post-hoc test. Results: Lactium at 300mg/kg demonstrated statistically significant analgesic activity in both hot plate (30 min: p=0.004; 60 min: p<0.001) and tail clip (p<0.001 at both time points) methods. At 60 minutes, no significant difference was observed between Lactium 300mg/kg and pentazocine in hot plate (p=1.000) or tail clip (p=1.000) tests, indicating equivalent efficacy. Lactium 150mg/kg showed no significant analgesic effect. The effects were consistent across both thermal and mechanical nociception models. Conclusion: Lactium at 300mg/kg exhibits dose-dependent analgesic activity comparable to pentazocine at peak effect. Given its established safety profile, Lactium warrants further investigation as a potential analgesic agent.