Pharmacological Evaluation of the Analgesic Potential of Eleusine indica (Poaceae) Ethanolic Root Extract

Eleusine indica is a plant commonly seen at the roadsides in urban and rural areas. It is part of the Poaceae family wherein some of its plants are known to show analgesic activity. E. indica has been used as traditional medicine for inflammation and pain management. However, there are limited studies into the therapeutic activity and phytochemical profile of E. root extract. Thus, this study aims to conduct initial phytochemical screening on E. indica's root and evaluate its potential analgesic activity using the Hot Plate Method. The roots were air-dried, blended, macerated with 70% ethanol, and filtered, and concentrated using a hot bath. The extracts were administered through oral gavage to the experimental group, while Ibuprofen (30 mg/kg) and distilled water (10 mL/kg) were administered for the control group. Analgesic activity was assessed using two methods: the hot plate test, which measured the latency of pain response, and the acetic acid-induced writhing test, which recorded the number of abdominal constrictions. Acute oral toxicity testing was performed following OECD 423 guidelines, revealing no mortality or severe toxicity up to 5000 mg/kg, suggesting the extract is relatively non-toxic. In the writing test, both 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg/kg doses showed a significant reduction in writhes compared to the negative control (p < 0.01). In the hot plate test, the 500 mg/kg dose significantly increased pain response latency. Ibuprofen, as expected, have consistently shown significant analgesic effects in both tests. These findings suggest that E. indica root extract exhibits notable analgesic properties and could be a candidate for further development as a natural analgesic agent.