EVALUATION OF ANTI-NOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF VANILLA PLANIFOLIA SEEDS IN ANIMAL MODELS OF PAIN

Background: Pain is warning signal of the underlying pathology and is also essential for the diagnosis. Vanilla planifolia (VP) as per literature has analgesic activity. Analgesics like NSAIDs and Opioids are used for treating pain. Adverse effects limits their long-term use. Therefore, there is always a need of more effective and safe drugs. Objective: To evaluate the analgesic activity of ethanolic extract of Vanilla planifolia seeds. Material and Methods: Wistar rats weighing 150-200gms and mice 30-40 gms of either sex were included in the study. Hot plate model and acetic acid-induced writhing test was used. Animals were divided into four groups -Vehicle control, Standard control, VP Low Dose and VP High Dose. Drug treatment was given 1hr prior to the test & response to the thermal stimuli was noted on eddy’s hot plate. Drug treatment was given 1 h before and number of writhes was measured, at different time intervals 30 min up to 240 min after the injection of 1% acetic acid in writhing test. Data analyzed with Graph pad prism 6. Results: Reaction time in control rats was reduced, showing hyperalgesia. In the standard control group reaction time was significantly high (p<0.001) at 30,60 & 90 min. VPLD & VPHD showed significant increase in reaction time at 60 (p<0.001) and 90(p<0.001). Percentage inhibition of writhes after drug administration was seen in both the VP-treated groups. Conclusion: Ethanolic extract of VP seeds showed an analgesic effect in both animal models. The analgesic effect was comparable to pentazocine in hot plate method and to Diclofenac in writhing test.