“Evaluation of the Analgesic Potential of Alstonia Scholaris Extracts Using Eddy’s Hot Plate Method”

The present study evaluates the analgesic potential of Alstoniascholaris extracts using Eddy’s hot plate method, along with a comprehensive phytochemical and antioxidant profiling. Crude extracts were obtained using petroleum ether and methanol, with methanol yielding a higher percentage (2.46%) than petroleum ether (0.53%), indicating its superior efficiency in extracting polar phytochemicals. Phytochemical screening revealed that the methanolic extract was rich in alkaloids, glycosides, carbohydrates, flavonoids, tannins, and phenolic compounds, whereas the petroleum ether extracts only showed the presence of saponins. Quantitative analysis of the methanolic extract showed significant total phenolic content (up to 70.4 mg/g GAE) and total flavonoid content (up to 51.55 mg/g RE), suggesting strong antioxidant potential. The DPPH radical scavenging assay further confirmed this, with the methanolic extract exhibiting moderate antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ = 48.73 µg/ml), though less potent than ascorbic acid (IC₅₀ = 21.92 µg/ml). The analgesic activity assessed via the hot plate model demonstrated that Alstoniascholaris extract significantly increased reaction times in a dose-dependent manner. At 400 mg/kg, the extract showed a peak response of 31.92±0.094 seconds at 30 minutes, comparable to the standard analgesic drug pentazocine (10 mg/kg). This suggests that the methanolic extract of Alstoniascholaris possesses notable central analgesic properties, likely due to its phytochemical constituents, supporting its traditional use in pain management and highlighting its potential as a natural analgesic agent.