Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medical Research

Aims: To evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory potentials of the methanolic leaf and root extracts of Vanda roxburghii (LVR and RVR) belonging to the family Orchidaceae, a hill tract plant, traditionally used in rheumatism.

Study Design: The current study was carried out in vivo. LVR and RVR were divided into two concentrations, 50 mg/kg body weight and 100 mg/kg body weight and then subjected to different mice models to evaluate analgesic and anti-inflammatory potentials.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Pharmacy, Southeast University, Banani, Dhaka-1213, Bangladesh, within a period of six month.

Methodology: Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of LVR and RVR (50 and 100 mg/kg) of V.  roxburghii were evaluated in different mice models as acetic acid-induced writhing, formalin-induced paw licking and carrageenan-induced hind paw oedema models using diclofenac sodium as standard. 

Results: The results of the study showed that both LVR and RVR possess peripherally and centrally acting analgesic potential in mice model. In acetic acid induced writhing method, LVR (100 mg/kg) significantly (P<0.001) reduced pain sensation with 64.94% inhibition as compared to standard with 70.13% of inhibition. Correspondingly, LVR (100 mg/kg) also appreciably (p<0.01) reduced licking in early phase with 51.43% of inhibition and late phase (p<0.001) with   88.89% of inhibition as compared to standard. Furthermore, RVR also showed significant analgesic activity in both early and late phase at the dose of 50 mg/kg with 50.48% and 66.67% of inhibition. In the anti-inflammatory study, LVR and RVR (100 mg/kg) showed significant (P<0.01) activity after 3 hours of administration of plant extract against carrageenan-induced hind paw oedema with 67.14% and 61.37% of inhibition respectively as compared to standard 72.28% of inhibition.

Conclusion: The investigation revealed that the methanolic leaf and root extracts of V. roxburghii have both central and peripheral analgesic as well as anti-inflammatory potentials that would add a great medicinal value to develop it’s ethnopharmacological study.