Purpose: To evaluate the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of n-hexane extract of the whole
plant of
Viola betonicifolia
Sm, family: Violaceace.
Methods: The n-hexane fraction of
Viola betonicifolia (VBHF) was tested for its analgesic and antiinflammatory
activities (carrageenan-induced and histamine-induced edema models) in BALB/c mice.
Results: VBHF exhibited significant (p < 0.01) analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity at test doses of
100, 200 and 300 mg/kg. The analgesic effect of VBHF was dose-dependent in acetic acid pain model
while the extract was a weak analgesic at the dose of 300 mg/kg in hot plate and tail immersion test.
Diclofenac sodium and tramadol showed better analgesic properties to the extract. Analgesia was not
antagonized by naloxone in the hot plate model. Anti-inflammatory activity against carrageenan-induced
edema was 60.8 %; however, histamine-induced inflammation was not antogonised by the extract.
Conclusions: The extract has some analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. This justifies its use in
traditional medicine for pain of management.
