Abstract

The aqueous extract of Pterocarpus erinaceus stem bark was investigated for its anti inflammatory, analgesic and antioxidant activities. The phytochemical screening using standard procedures of analysis revealed the presence of  tannins, flavonoids, saponins, triterpenoids and steroids The antioxidant test using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and cupric-reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) methods demonstrated important radical scavenging activity with the antiradical power (ARP) of 1.25 (in DPPH method), and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) = 0.7. At the doses of 200, 400 and 600 mg. kg^-1 body weight orally, the aqueous extract of P. erinaceus produced significant analgesic effects in acetic acid-induced writhing and hot plate methods. At the doses of 300 and 500 µg/ear, the aqueous extract reduced inflammatory process in croton oil-induced ear edema and carrageenan-induced paw edema methods. These results suggest the possibility of using P. erinaceus in the treatment of painful and inflammatory conditions.

Key words: Pterocarpus erinaceus, fabaceae, antioxidant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory.