Abstract

COLOCASIA ESCULENTA (L.) SCHOTT CORM: EVALUATION OF ITS ANTINOCICEPTIVE POTENTIAL

Md. Masfikur Rahman, Rownak Jahan and Mohammed Rahmatullah*

ABSTRACT

Background. Colocasia esculenta is cultivated in Bangladesh for its edible tubers or corms, which are cooked and consumed as vegetable. It was of interest to evaluate the antinociceptive activity of methanol extract of the corms (MECE). Methods. Antinociceptive activity was determined through reductions in number of writhings caused by intraperitoneally injected acetic acid-induced abdominal pain in mice. Results. At MECE doses of 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg per kg body weight, the extract reduced the number of abdominal constrictions induced by intraperitoneal administration of acetic acid in mice by 20.0, 33.3, 46.7, and 50.0%, respectively. By comparison, a standard antinociceptive drug, aspirin, when administered to mice at doses of 200 and 400 mg per kg body weight, reduced the number of abdominal constrictions by 36.7 and 56.7%, respectively%, demonstrating that the extract antinociceptive activity at the two higher doses was potent than aspirin at the lower dose. Conclusion. The results suggest that corms of the plant possess phytochemical constituents with antinociceptive activities, and which merits further isolation and identification.

Keywords: Antinociceptive, Colocasia esculenta, Araceae, writhing.