EVALUATION OF ANTI-NOCICEPTIVE ACTIVITY AND BRINE SHRIMP LETHALITY BIOASSAY OF ROOTS OF LEEA MACROPHYLLA ROXB.

The ethanolic extracts and its different partitioning fractions of roots of Leea macrophylla (Leeaceae) were evaluated for their analgesic and preliminary cytotoxic activities. The analgesic activity was evaluated using the acetic acid-induced writhing test in mice while the screening of cytotoxic activity was done using brine shrimp lethality bioassay. In acetic- acid induced writhing test, the ethanolic extract at the dose of 200 mg/kg body weight significantly (p<0.001) reduced the number of writhes with 62.37% of inhibition when compared to the control group which was comparable to that of the standard drug diclofenac sodium (61.85% inhibition, p<0.001). The petroleum ether, carbon tetrachloride and ethyl acetate soluble fractions of the ethanolic extract at the same dose exhibited moderate anti-nociceptive activities with 36.59, 30.92 and 27.83 % inhibition of writhing compared to control, respectively. In Brine shrimp lethality bioassay, the LC₅₀ values of the ethanolic extract and carbon tetrachloride, chloroform and ethyl acetate soluble fractions were found to be 2.39, 0.049, 4.53 and 0.09 mg/ml, respectively which were comparable to the standard vincristine sulphate, (LC₅₀: 0.34mg/ml). The results of the study demonstrated both the anti-nociceptive and preliminary cytotoxic activity of the roots of Leea macrophylla Roxb.