EVALUATION OF ANALGESIC ACTIVITY OF AQUEOUS EXTRACT OF ALOE VERA [AEAV] IN ALBINO WISTAR RATS

Aloe vera has been used since ages to manage a number of diseases causing pain, inflammation and fever. However, its effectiveness has not been scientifically certified. NSAIDs & Opioid are used continuously for the pain management. Alternative analgesics are needed to escape from the serious adverse effects of NSAIDs. Our study demonstrated significant analgesic activity of Aloe vera at doses of 200 mg/kg and 500 mg/kg. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out using Wistar Albino rats (150-200gm). Soxhlets apparatus was used to prepare the aqueous extract of Aloe vera [AEAV]. The animals were divided into 4 groups (n=6) receiving different treatments. Hot plate method, acetic acid induced writhing method and tail flick tests were used. The results were subjected to statistical analysis by using one way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s test.  Results Analgesic effect of high dose of AEAV at 500 mg/kg was similar with the standard drug indomethacin. The extract (200 & 500 mg/kg) exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of writhing and also showed a significant (P < 0.001) inhibition in the hot plate method. The results indicate that the analgesic effect of AEAV is mediated both by central and peripheral mechanism.