Assessment of Acute Toxicity and Analgesic Activity of Organic and Aqueous Fractions from Retama Monosperma Stems

Retama monosperma, an endemic Mediterranean plant, is traditionally used for various illnessesand various biological activities due to its bioactive phytochemicals. The current research studyinvestigated the acute toxicity and analgesic activity of the fractions from the stems of Retamamonosperma. These activities were conducted in vivo using animal models (Swiss albino miceand Wistar Albino rats), focusing on the four fractions obtained from the stems of Retamamonosperma (hexane, ethyl acetate, ethanol, and aqueous), through Soxhlet extraction. Acuteoral toxicity was assessed in mice, while analgesic activity was evaluated using the acetic acidinduced writhing test for peripheral effects and the tail immersion test for central effects. Thefractions were confirmed to be nontoxic at doses of 50 and 2000 mg/kg, with the lethal doseexceeding 50 mg/kg for the ethanol fraction and 2000 mg/kg for the other fractions. Thefractions studied inhibited the pain in a dose-dependent manner in the acetic acid-inducedwrithing test, especially for the ethyl acetate fraction. However, in the tail immersion test, thefractions did not exhibit significantly enhanced effects. The analgesic activity of Retamamonosperma stems could be ascribed to the secondary metabolites detected in this plant. Thisstudy demonstrated the safety of fractions of R. monosperma in acute toxicity and highlightstheir potential for peripheral analgesic activity. Future investigations, including the isolation ofactive compounds, are necessary to complete this work and improve the application of thisspecies in pain-associated diseases.